Sheikh Zayed Book Award Reading Panel Convenes to Review Nominations Thus Far

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award concluded its first reading panel committee meetings in Abu Dhabi last week, as a first step towards reviewing eligible nominations for its eighth Edition (2013-2014). The committee members included Dr Khalil Al-Shaikh from Jordan, Dr. Mustafa Al-Slaiman from Germany, Dr Ali Al Kaabi from UAE and headed by Dr Ali Bin Tamim, the Award's Scretary General. Commenting on the Award selection criteria, Bin Tamim said ' The eligible nominations are identified through stringent scientific and objective principles to evaluate the merits of the nominated creative work. The process begins with Reading Panels assigned to filter out the nominations, the selection of nominations is sent to nine judging panels for careful review and evaluation, a process which takes up to 4 months. The Judges detailed report per book is then submitted to the Scientific Committee for another round of evaluations to decide on the final selection of the best nominations in all categories, to be finally introduced to the Board of Trustees for announcement'. He also added that the Award's continuous efforts to reach its international recognition are shaped by the standards of excellence and meticulous processes set forth by the organizers. From his side, Dr Khalil Al Shaikh, member of the Scientific committee commented " What differentiates this [Sheikh Zayed Book Award] award is its active role to enrich the Arab cultural arena with highly acclaimed distinguished works. The merits  of winning take into account transparency and quality of the book's content first and foremost'. The award– carrying the name of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for over 30 years- was established in 2006 to foster greater scholarship and creativity by recognizing and rewarding innovators and thinkers in areas of knowledge, arts and humanities. The award recognizes cultural achievements across one of the broadest and most diverse areas of any cultural awards internationally. The “Cultural Personality of the Year” honours prominent figures for their unique contributions to the advancement of the Arabic culture, and for works that portray tolerance and promote peaceful coexistence