Abu Dhabi Welcomes Nominations in Nine Book Awards

ABU DHABI - Rashed Al Oraimi, the Secretary General, announced yesterday the official call for nominations for Sheikh Zayed Book Award; an international awards program to recognize writers, translators, novelists and publishers who contribute to promoting the Arabic culture. Named after the late president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award was launched in October 2006 to honor writers and boost the Arab publishing Industry.

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Mr. Al Oraimi also elaborated on the entry requirements; for the cultural personality of the year award, entrants should be nominated by academic, research or cultural institutions, or by three intellectually and culturally prominent figures. For the other eight categories, entrants are requested to self-nominate their works.

A dual language, Arabic and English website was designed specifically for the award. The website, www.zayedaward.com, will be a focal point for information and updates on The Sheikh Zayed book Award (SZBA) and includes details on entry requirements and process.

Rashed al Oraimi emphasized that the work must be written in Arabic, except for works nominated for the Translation Award; they could be translations either from or to Arabic. The work should have been published for no more than two years.

The nominations to the nine awards will be open until September 15, 2009. The finalists will be selected by literary figures in the Arab world and the winner in each category will receive 750,000 Dirhams (US$ 205,000) while the cultural personality of the year receives 1 million Dirhams (US$ 270,000) in an awarding ceremony next year, March 2010.

For its third year awards, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award received a total of 620 nominations which were filtered down to 263 accepted nominations from 29 countries around the world.

Notes to the Editor

About the Award

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is an independent cultural award established under the patronage and support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. The award was established in memory of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan, who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for more than 30 years. The award comprises a total monetary prize value of seven million UAE dirhams. Each prize consists of a gold medal bearing the Sheikh Zayed Book Award logo, a certificate of merit and a cash reward.

The award recognizes cultural achievement across one of the broadest and most diverse areas of any cultural awards internationally, including:

1. Contribution to the Development of the Country Award

Open to works in the fields of economics, sociology, management, politics, law and theology that contribute to the country’s advancement

2. Children’s Literature Award

Open to literary and cultural works addressing various children’s groups.

3. Young Author Award

Open to scientific, literary or cultural works produced by authors younger than 40 years

4. Translation Award

Open to translated works, either to or from Arabic

5. Literature Award

Open to works across various categories of literature including poetry, stories, novels and plays, research addressing literary theories, creative writings or works of criticism

6. Fine Arts Award

Open to books about various forms of art such as music, cinema, architecture, plastic art, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, photography and digital arts

7. Best Technology in the Field of Culture Award

Recognizes written or digital works and researches which promote the Arabic language.

8. Publishing and Distribution Award

Open to publishers, distributors, agents and research institutions which produce a diverse range of texts printed to the highest standard in the Arabic language.

9. Cultural Personality of the Year Award

Honors a prominent Arab or international figure who has contributed to the advancement of the Arabic culture, embodies through his/her work tolerance and promotes peaceful coexistence

Source: Sheikh Zayed Book Award

For further information please contact: Karin Aghadjanian, Communication and press, Tel: +971-508343823, Email: Karin.a at zayedaward.com or Karin_aghadjanian at hotmail.com