Sheikh Zayed Book Award concludes its nominations phase

Abu Dhabi, October 21, 2012 – The Sheikh Zayed Book Award announced on Monday 15th October, the closure of its nominations phase for the 7th Cycle of 2012/2013. The deadline has been extended back in September by authors' demand to provide a greater opportunity for those wishing to participate and accommodate for the increasing interest. Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Secretary General commented on this Cycle saying “We received a massive number of nominations due to the fruitful relationship built with authors, novelists, academics, publishers and key cultural entities around the world”, he added. According to Dr. Bin Tamim, a total of 32 countries are represented in this year’s participations, spanning through the Arab World, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, and Spain. “We thrive to honor intellectuals, researchers, writers, and translators who have made significant contributions in literature, social sciences and the culture and knowledge of modern age from all over the world. And we take it as our duty to introduce new talents to the Arab readers and encourage creativity of youth” Bin Tamim concluded. With the wrap up of the nominations phase, Mr. Abdulla Majid Al-Ali said "a series of meetings will be held for the reading panel, starting 5th of November. And with the conclusion of the reading panel’s work, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s judging panels will commence assessment and evaluation of filtered works across all categories." He added that "The judging panels join 33 prominent figures ranging from literature and cultural experts, to academic critics. Each category has three judges who independently evaluate the nominations and submit their reports against a stringent, quantifiable scoring 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. The winners will be announced ahead of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair while the Award presentation ceremony, celebrating the winning achievements, will be held on the 25th of April 2013.