First stage of Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s 11th cycle assessment completed

Abu Dhabi, October 16, 2016 – The Sheikh Zayed Book Award announced the conclusion of the reading panel assembly to evaluate the accepted nominations for its eleventh session of 2016/2017. The panel was headed by Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Award’s Secretary General, joined by Dr. Ali Al Kaabi from UAE; Dr. Khalil Al Shaikh from Jordan; and Dr. Dheyaa Al Kaabi from Bahrain. The members assessed the works that made the initial cut in the Award’s diverse categories, based on the Award’s general terms and conditions in preparation for the Judging panel’s work. Commenting on the commencement of the reading committee work, Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Secretary General said: “To ensure objectivity and credibility, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award selects members of its judging panels carefully; this year for example we have around forty experts, coming from across multiple specialties, cultural backgrounds and languages. Each of these Judges receives approximately ten books to assess, in a period of four months.” With the conclusion of the reading panel’s work, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s judging panel will commence assessment and evaluation of filtered works across all categories. Each category has three judges specialized in the same field. The judges independently evaluate the nominations and submit their reports against a stringent criterion to ensure the decision is truly reflective of their independent and expert views. The assessment results are then calculated for each category and collectively evaluated by the Scientific Committee for the Award. Consequently, the winners will be subject to the approval of the Award’s Board of Trustees. The Award will be announcing its long lists across its categories over the coming few weeks.