The Sheikh Zayed Book Award receives 4,000 entries from 74 countries

Abu Dhabi, 31 October / WAM / The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, in its twentieth session 2025-2026, received more than 4,000 entries from 74 countries, distributed among 21 Arab countries and 53 foreign countries, including countries participating for the first time, such as Chile, Iceland, and Luxembourg.

During its meetings, headed by His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim, President of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, Secretary-General of the Award, the Sorting and Reading Committee reviewed the nominated works within the various branches, and worked to evaluate the extent of their compliance with the approved conditions and standards, in preparation for announcing the long lists of nominated works.

The reading and screening committee included the poet, critic, and academic Dr. Muhammad Abu Al-Fadl Badran, Dr. Bilal Orfali, professor of the Sheikh Zayed Chair for Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut, and the writer and researcher Muhammad Abu Zaid, while the meetings were attended by Abdul Rahman Al-Naqbi, Director of the Literary Awards Department at the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language.

His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim said that the twentieth session of the award represents a bright station in its journey that extends for two decades of cultural and intellectual giving, during which the award’s position was consolidated as an Arab and international platform that celebrates innovators and enhances the presence of literature, thought and research in various fields of knowledge. Since its inception, the award has always embodied the civilizational vision of the UAE, based on the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, who made Culture is an essential pillar in human building and development.

He added that for twenty years, the award has been committed to supporting Arabic literature and highlighting its role in the global cultural scene, by encouraging creativity in writing, translation and research, and honoring symbols of thought and knowledge who have contributed to enriching human awareness. Today, as it enters its third decade, the award continues its mission of building a sustainable cultural future that reflects the UAE’s position as an incubator of creativity and a pioneering environment that celebrates the word and believes in the power of culture in shaping the future.

Nominations for the twentieth session witnessed a remarkable growth compared to the previous session, which reflects the confidence in the award and its role in supporting literary and intellectual talents around the world.

The Literature Branch topped the list of nominations with 1,117 works, followed by the Young Author Branch with 892 nominations, then the Children’s and Youth Literature Branch with 509 nominations, and the Arts and Critical Studies Branch with 479 nominations, followed by the Development and State Building Branches, Translation, Arab Culture in Other Languages, Editing of Manuscripts, Cultural Technologies, and Cultural Personality of the Year.

The current session recorded an increase of 12% in the number of women’s participation compared to the previous session, which reflects the growing presence of female writers and authors in the Arab cultural scene. Cultural and research institutions also witnessed an increase in their participation by 80%, while international participation from non-Arab countries increased by 16%.

In terms of the most nominated countries, the Arab Republic of Egypt topped the list, followed by Morocco, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, the Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman.

As for non-Arab countries, the United States of America, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, India, Canada, Sweden, and Australia ranked first.

Over two decades, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has established itself as a global knowledge platform that honors creativity and innovators. Since its launch, it has attracted more than 33,000 entries from nearly 80 countries and honored 136 winners in ten branches covering multiple intellectual, literary and cultural fields, including children’s and young adult literature, young authors, translation, literature, arts and critical studies, manuscript editing, development and state building, and Arab culture in languages. Other topics, publishing and cultural technologies, in addition to the “Cultural Personality of the Year” category, which is awarded to honor qualitative contributions in the cultural field.

The “Translation Grant,” which was launched in 2018, also contributed to consolidating this pioneering role, by supporting the transfer of Arabic literature into the world’s languages ​​and expanding its creative spaces, affirming the UAE’s commitment to continuing the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, in making culture a bridge for human dialogue and a source of inspiration for the future.

During the coming months, the long lists of nominated works will be announced, after which the arbitration phase will begin in the various branches of the award, in preparation for submitting reports to the scientific body to select the short lists.

The session concludes with the announcement of the winners, who are awaited by a wide audience of writers and readers around the world.

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