Abu Dhabi, May 14, 2018 - The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced it will be accepting nominations for its 13th edition (the 2018/19 Awards) starting this month and running until October 1st 2018. The call for nominations comes after the successful conclusion of the Award’s grand ceremony celebrating the winners of its 12th edition, which was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and in the presence of dignitaries and prominent figures.
In its last edition, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award received a total of 1,191 nominations from around the world across its different categories. The Award provides an opportunity for creative individuals in any of the Award’s various categories: Best Contribution to the Development of the Country, Children’s Literature [including adolescent’s books], Young Author, Translation, Literature, Literary and Art Criticism, Arabic Culture in non-Arab language, and Publishing and Cultural Technologies.
All nominated works must have been published in the last two years and shouldn’t have been previously awarded by a prominent international prize. The work must be written in Arabic, except for works nominated for the Translation Award (which could be translated either from or to Arabic), and the works nominated for the category “Arabic Culture in Other Languages” which accepts works in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
For the ‘Cultural Personality of the Year Award’ applicants should be nominated by academic, research and cultural institutions, by literary associations and universities or by three intellectually and culturally prominent figures. For the other eight categories, applicants are requested to fill in the nomination form online themselves.The application process and full information on the nominations process can be viewed and accessed from the Award’s website www.zayedaward.ae.
In its 12th edition, The Sheikh Zayed Book Award granted a total of eight awards. The ‘Literature’ Award went to Syrian novelist Khalil Sweileh for his novel ‘Ikhtibar al-nadam’ (Remorse Test), published by Nofal- Hachette Antoine, Beirut (2017), while Emirati author Hessa Al Muhairi was named winner of ‘Children’s Literature’ Award for her story ‘’al-dinoraf’ (the Dinoraf), published by Al Hudhud Publishing and Distribution, UAE (2017).
In the ‘Young Author’ category, the Egyptian writer Ahmad Al Qarmalawi won the title for his novel ‘Amtar Sayfiyyah’ (Summer Rains), published by Maktabat al-Dar al-Arabiyah lil-Kitab, Cairo (2017).
Néji Elounelli from Tunisia won the ‘Translation’ Award for his Arabic translation of the work of German author Theodor W. Adorno, ‘natharayya ‘astiteeqyya’ (Asthetische Theorie), published by Al-Jamal Publications, Beirut 2017.
The ‘Literary and Art Criticism’ Award went to Moroccan academic Mohammad Mishbal, for his work ‘Fi Balaghat Al Hajjaj: nahwa balagha hajjajiyyah litahleel al khitab’ (The Rhetoric of Al Hajjaj: Towards a rhetoric inspired by Al Hajjaj in analyzing discourse), published by Kunouz Al Ma’refa Publishers, Amman (2017).
The 'Arab Culture in Other Languages' Award went to German researcher Dag Nikolaus Hasse for his work ‘Success and Suppression: Arabic Sciences and Philosophy in the Renaissance’, published by Harvard Press 2017 while Dar Al-Tanweer (Beirut) won the 'Publishing and Technology' Award.
The ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’ Award went to “L’Institut du Monde Arabe” (IMA), or the “Arab World Institute”.