Under the patronage of the President of the State, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces the names of the winners of its 20th session
ABU DHABI, 17 APRIL / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, organized by the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, announced the names of the winners in its twentieth session 2025-2026, in continuation of two decades of continuous institutional cultural work since its launch in 2006, confirming the continuation of its mission as a global knowledge platform. It celebrates Arab creativity and contributes to expanding its presence in the international space through a strategic vision that makes culture a lever for development and a broad field for civilizational dialogue.
The winners were chosen following a meeting of the Board of Trustees, which discussed the final results and reviewed the justifications for winning for each candidate, after conducting a careful review process conducted by the arbitration committees and the scientific body in accordance with the highest scientific and literary standards, taking into account the cultural and cognitive impact of the works at the regional and global levels.
The meeting was chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to His Highness the President of the State, His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Saud Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim, President of the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, Secretary-General of the Award, and His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Majid. Al Ali, Director General of the National Archives and Library.
His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak said that twenty years ago, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award was launched to embody a firm principle that the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, always believed in, that culture and knowledge are the two pillars on which societies and countries are built.
He added that, based on his inspiring vision, the award has become a pioneering platform for honoring the most prominent literary creations, authors and writers of our time, and dedicating all means and tools to support the wheel of literature, publishing and translation at the regional and global levels, as it brought together 136 honored personalities from various parts of the world in a renewed dialogue with Arab thought and creativity, which reflects Abu Dhabi’s firm commitment to promoting cultural exchange and consolidating the global presence of creativity and knowledge.
He said: While I congratulate the winners of this exceptional twentieth session, their works continue to enrich the literary and cognitive scenes, and confirm the UAE’s commitment to continuing to support creativity, knowledge, and dialogue in the coming years.
For his part, His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim said: Today we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the launch of the award, which represents a bright milestone that recalls the intellectual and humanitarian legacy of the late founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, who believed that investing in knowledge serves the building of people and strong societies, and from this solid vision the award was launched in 2006 to become a civilized cultural project that reflects the open face of the UAE, and celebrates With Arab creativity, and presents it confidently to the world.
He added that the award has, over two decades, been a prominent cultural landmark in the world and a global platform for enhancing the presence of Arabic literature in other languages, based on solid scientific standards and a long-term strategic vision. The winning works in this session reflected depth in presentation, solidity in approach, and high aesthetics in expression, which confirms its role in developing and renewing Arab writing and research tools.
He congratulated the winners on this award, which was the result of distinguished cognitive and creative efforts, and we affirm our commitment to continuing the award’s message in its third decade, in fulfillment of the legacy of Zayed, and in consolidating the UAE’s position as a global center for cultural dialogue and convergence of civilizations, and an open invitation to creative people to participate in future sessions and contribute to enriching the general cultural movement.
In its twentieth session, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award continues to expand its geographical reach and enhance its international presence, as the list of winners this year includes eight winners from multiple cultural environments: Germany, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and the UAE, which embodies its unifying message for creators and researchers from multiple cultures, and confirms its role in building bridges of cognitive dialogue under one cultural umbrella, which is open to the world and attracts its creative energies.
In the literature category, writer Ashraf El-Ashmawy from Egypt won for his novel “Births in the Zoo,” published by the Egyptian Lebanese Publishing House in 2024. It is a novel inspired by the traditions of Arab realism, but it re-presents it with a contemporary human vision and renewed narrative tools. The work provides an in-depth social and psychological reading of the Egyptian person in the transformations of his consciousness and his relationship with society and the self, through vibrant characters representing multiple societal and cultural spectrums. The novel is based on precise daily details that become carriers of a collective memory, in a balance between a faint historical sense and a disciplined artistic imagination, which gives the text a documentary and aesthetic dimension at the same time, and makes it a qualitative addition to the path of the modern Arabic novel, which combines the pleasure of narration with the depth of contemplation.
As for the Young Author Award, it went to researcher Mustafa Rajwan from Morocco for his book “Plots and Characters: The Argumentative Rhetorical Approach to the Arabic Novel,” published by Dar Kunooz al-Ma’rifa for Publishing and Distribution in 2025. This work comes in the context of contemporary critical trends that restore rhetoric as an effective analytical tool in reading modern narratives, as it provides a theoretical foundation that recalls the Arab rhetorical heritage, and brings it into dialogue with the Western work, before moving on to An applied analysis reveals the mechanisms of plot construction and character formation from a systematic argumentative perspective. The book contributes to the development of modern Arabic rhetoric and restores its reputation as a living science capable of reading contemporary literature.
In the translation branch, researcher Nawal Nasrallah from Iraq/United States of America won for her translation from Arabic to English of the book “Types of Pharmacy in Food Colors,” published by Brill Publishing House in 2025. It is a thirteenth-century text on food literature that remained subject to the complexities of its manuscripts for a long time. The translator presented a comprehensive scientific work that was not limited to linguistic transmission, but rather adopted a critical investigation of a number of manuscript copies, in which she addressed their differences with a precise philological approach, while preserving the terminology specialized in food culture, its manufacturing methods, and its broader cultural, medical, and material contexts. With this effort, she revived a problematic heritage text and made it available to the global reader in a solid, scientific format that combines honesty and clarity.
Writer Zuhair Tawfiq from Jordan won the award in the Arts and Critical Studies branch for his book “Perceiving the World: Mutual Stereotypes between the Self and the Other,” published by Alan Publishers and Distributors in 2025. It is an analytical study that traces the formation of stereotypes in the Arab and Western consciousness throughout history, from the Middle Ages to modern Orientalism. The book shows that representations of the other are not the product of a passing moment, but rather the result of a cultural accumulation in which multiple religious, literary, and intellectual sources participated in its formulation. Its originality lies in its approach, which looks at the other as a structural element in the formation of the Arab self, transcending sharp dualisms, and presenting a balanced reading that reveals mutual and changing representations, which contributes to deepening the understanding of the relationship between identity and cultural representation.
As for the Arab Culture Award in Other Languages, it went to the writer, translator and researcher Stefan Weidner from Germany for his book “The Arabic Diwan: The Most Beautiful Poems from the Pre-Islamic Era and After it,” published by the publishing house “D’Andre Bibliotek” in 2024 in the German language, and which is considered one of the largest selections of ancient Arabic poetry in the German space since the nineteenth century, as it includes about 1,000 verses translated into a modern analytical translation, and is accompanied by comments and an expanded introduction that lays out the texts. In its historical and aesthetic context. The work is not limited to presenting a poetic anthology, but rather turns into a cultural project that rereads Arabic poetry in light of contemporary human questions, confirming its presence as a living heritage capable of being rediscovered.
The Emirates Literature Foundation from the United Arab Emirates won the Publishing and Cultural Technologies Award, in recognition of its pioneering role in developing the literary industry and enhancing the presence of Emirati culture at the regional and global levels. Since its founding in 2013 by writer and cultural activist Isabel Abulhoul, the Foundation has been able to build an integrated platform to support reading and writing, promote dialogue between cultures, and consolidate the UAE’s position as a vital center for literature and thought.
In the Manuscripts, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries branch, Professor Dr. Muhammad Al-Khasht from Egypt won for the “World Religions” encyclopedia in 6 volumes, issued by Mohammed bin Zayed University for the Humanities in 2025. It is an encyclopedia that provides a comprehensive treatment of religions, sects and sects, within a methodological framework that goes beyond the descriptive presentation to the analysis of the historical and philosophical contexts of religious phenomena. Its importance is highlighted in highlighting the common spaces between religions and consolidating the concept of pluralism, thus enhancing the values of tolerance and coexistence, and making it a scientific reference that opens new research horizons in the field of comparative religions.
The Cultural Personality of the Year award in the twentieth session was won by the Egyptian artist Najat Al-Saghira, one of the most prominent singers in the Arab world. With her warm voice and sensitive feeling, she formed a unique artistic school that contributed to the consolidation of modern classical Arabic song. Throughout her career, she presented a large number of sung poems, which contributed to strengthening the presence of the Arabic language in the conscience and consolidating its love for successive generations. She also created a rich legacy of immortal works that are still strongly present in the world. Collective memory, reflecting the depth of its influence on Arab musical culture and the persistence of its imprint over time.
The winners and the cultural personality of the year will be honored during a ceremony organized by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center, the date of which will be announced later. The winner of the “Cultural Personality of the Year” award receives a gold medal, a certificate of appreciation, and a financial prize worth one million dirhams, and the winners in the other branches receive gold medals, certificates of appreciation, and financial prizes worth 750,000 dirhams, in honor of their intellectual and creative contributions.
The year 2026 will witness a busy international program celebrating the two decades since the launch of the award, showcasing its accumulated cultural heritage and highlighting its impact in supporting Arabic literature and the internationalization of knowledge, confirming the continuation of its mission to empower creativity and enhance its presence in the global cultural scene during its third decade.
The twentieth session witnessed wide participation, exceeding 4,000 nominations from 74 countries, which reflects the prestigious position that the award enjoys on the international cultural scene, and confirms its growing impact in supporting creativity, expanding the circles of cultural influence of the UAE, and consolidating the presence of Arabic literature as an effective voice in global culture.
Over the course of two decades, the award has established itself among the most important independent literary and cultural awards, and has contributed to revitalizing the movement of scientific, literary, and cultural research at the Arab and international levels. It has attracted more than 33,000 entries from nearly 80 countries, and honored 136 male and female winners from writers, thinkers, researchers, and cultural institutions around the world, with a qualitative expansion of its categories to include ten main categories covering literature, children’s and youth literature, and young authors. Arts and critical studies, translation, manuscripts, encyclopedias and dictionaries, development and state building, Arab culture in other languages, publishing and cultural techniques, and the general cultural personality.
The award’s positive impact extended to supporting translation, intellectual studies, cognitive achievements, and the advancement of the publishing industry. It strengthened the presence of Arabic literature globally by transferring it to living languages since 2018, and contributed to the translation of 50 titles into 12 languages, giving the winning and nominated works the opportunity to reach new readers outside the Arab world according to high professional standards, and confirming the pioneering role of the UAE in consolidating the knowledge economy and promoting dialogue between civilizations and cultures.
The selection of the winners over the two decades was the result of a careful judging process that went through multiple stages, and was based on a well-established system of standards based on the originality of the work and its ability to provide a qualitative addition to knowledge or creativity, with a commitment to the integrity of the curriculum, the depth of the scientific or artistic treatment, the quality of the language and construction, and taking into account the principles of research and documentation and the requirements of each branch separately, in a way that ensures the highest levels of integrity, objectivity and transparency in reaching the awarded works, and reflects the award’s commitment to professional standards that keep pace with its international standing.
Based on these well-established standards, the award continues into its third decade based on a solid cultural heritage, continuing to empower innovators and researchers, and consolidating the presence of the Arabic language and culture in the contemporary human scene, within the framework of an Emirati vision that believes that investing in knowledge is the highest investment in the human future.
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