Winners of Zayed Book Award to be feted virtually
The event will be streamed live on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Youtube channel on Monday 24 May, 2021 at 6pm UAE time, in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2021
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award at Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, is organising a virtual ceremony to honour the winners of the 15th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
The event will be streamed live on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Youtube channel on Monday 24 May, 2021 at 6pm UAE time (2pm GMT), in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2021.
This year the award honours eight writers and researchers from Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, in addition to a Lebanese publishing house, in recognition of their distinguished creative and intellectual productions across eight fields.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award Scientific Commitee previously announced the prize for the Literature category has been awarded to Egyptian writer Iman Mersal for her book Fee Athar Enayat
Al Zayyat (In the Footsteps of Enayat Al-zayyat), published in 2019 by Al Kotob Khan Library, while Tunisian author Mizouni Bannani won the Children’s Literature award for his book Rehlat Fannan (An Artist’s Journey), published by Dar Al Mua’nasa Publishing in 2020. The Translation award went to Impostures by Al-hariri, translated from Arabic to English by Michael Cooperson from the USA and published by Library of Arabic Literature in 2020.
The Literary and Art Criticism award went to Tunisian researcher Khelil Gouia, for his book Masar Al Tahdeeth fe Al Fonoon Al Tashkelyah, men Al Orsomah ella Al Lawha ( The Path of Modernisation in the Visual Arts, From Drawing to Painting), published by Med Ali Editions in 2020. The prize for Contribution to the Development of Nations was awarded to Saeed El-masry from Egypt for his book Turath Al Iste’ela’a bayn Al Folklor wa Al Majal Al Deeny (Legacy of Supremacy between Folklore and Religion), published by Batana Publishing & Distribution in 2019. Tahera Qutbuddin from the USA won the Arab Culture in Other Languages award for her book Arabic Oration: Art and Function, published in English by Brill Publishers in 2019.
The Young Author award went to Dr. Asma Muqbil Awad Alahmadi from Saudi Arabia for the study Eshkalyat Al Thaat Al Saredah Fee Al Rwayah Al Nesaayah Al Saudiah (The Problems of the Narrated Self in the Saudi Feminist Novel (1999 - 2012) (Critical Study), published by Arab Scientific Publishers Inc. in 2020. Dar Al Jadeed from Lebanon won the Publishing and Technology award.
The award ceremony will be broadcast live on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Youtube channel: @zayedbookaward
Recently, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Scientific Commitee convened to review the recommendations of the Award’s jury and approve the shortlists of the 15th edition of the Award – the largest in its history in terms of submission and nomination numbers, standing at a total 2,349 submissions; a 23 per cent increase compared to the 14th edition.
The Commitee’s meeting was atended by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Saood Al Hosani, Undersecretary, DCT Abu Dhabi and Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and Secretary-general of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
Members of Commitee include Dr. Khalil Al Shaikh from Jordan, Juergen Boos from Germany, poet and scholar Sultan Al Ameemi from the UAE, Jordanian-german translator Mustafa Al Slaiman, Professor Floréal Sanagustin from France, Professor Dr. Muhammad Abu Al Fadl Badran from Egypt, Jordanian-american Professor Dr. Khaled Al Masri, and Professor Mohammad Al Safran from Saudi Arabia.
“This year’s Sheikh Zayed Book Award witnessed the highest ever engagement in the Award’s 15-year history, and we have had an incredible variety of powerful works to choose from,” said Al Hosani. “The impressive number of submissions has proven that the profile and prestige of the Award grows year on year, successfully highlighting the innovative talents who are raising the literary bar and enriching the Arab cultural and intellectual oeuvre.”