Winners of Sheikh Zayed Book Awards announced

The 13th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced the winners for 2018/19, with five international authors and an Arab research centre honoured for their exceptional literary and intellectual publications. The Award is presented annually to outstanding writers, intellectuals and publishers, and emerging talents whose writing and translation in the humanities field enriches Arab intellectual, cultural, literary and social life.

Moroccan writer and novelist Bensalem Himmich’s autobiography The Self – Between Existence and Creation (Le Centre Culturel Du Livre, 2018) won the “Literature” category award, while author Hussain Almutawaa from Kuwait won the “Children’s Literature” category award for his novel I Dream of Being a Concrete Mixer (Al Hadaek Group, 2018). Algerian scholar Dr Abderrezak Belagrouz won the “Young Author” category for his book The Essence of Values and the Freedom of Social Concepts, (The Arabian Establishment for Thought and Innovation, 2017). In the “Literary & Art Criticism” category, scholar Dr Charbel Dagher from Lebanon won the award for his book Contemporary Arabic Poetry – the Prose (Al Maaref Forum, 2018).

In the Arab Culture in Other Languages category, British academic and researcher Philip F. Kennedy won the award for his book Recognition in the Arabic Narrative Tradition (Edinburgh University Press, 2016), while the UAE’s Arab Centre for Geographic Literature – Irtiyad al-Afaq – won the award category “Publishing & Technology”.

“Intellectual  and literary creativity continues to flourish in Abu Dhabi, a legacy of our great Founding Father,” said Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan,  Chairman of Sheikh Zayed Book Award Board of Trustees. “The impressive gathering of world-class thinkers and authors we see amongst the Award-winners is a testament to the success of this initiative, which we have been able to enhance and grow year after year.”

After congratulating this edition’s winners, Al Nahyan expressed pride in the achievements of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which has helped spur creative production and enrich the Arab literary canon.  

Dr Ali Bin Tamim, Secretary General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award said: “The Award has remained at the forefront of the Arabic intellectual, cultural and literary landscape for 13 years now,  garnering recognition for its credibility and transparency. With each edition, participation and engagement grows, and we look forward to continuing our mission of the enrichment of Arab literature for many years to come.”

Tamim also added that the winners were selected after thorough screening over the past months; with the support of the Scientific Committee responsible of the assessment and nomination evaluation. This is to further support the initiative of the great Founding Father Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

A ceremony to honour this year’s winners will be held on 25 April 2019, at The Plaza Auditorium of Louvre Abu Dhabi. The Sheikh Zayed Book Award ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’ will be named and announced soon, with the winner receiving an inscribed gold medal, a certificate of merit, and a 1 million-dirham monetary award. Winners in the other categories will receive a gold medal, a certificate of merit, and a monetary award of Dhs750,000.

The Department of Culture and Tourism conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction, which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The organisation manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and Louvre Abu Dhabi. The Department supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key role is to create synergy in the destination’s development.