Organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), the 19th Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) received over 4,000 submissions from 75 countries, 20 Arab states and 55 other nations, including five countries participating in the Award for the first time: Albania, Bolivia, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mali.

This underscores the SZBA's growing influence and extensive impact, encompassing a diverse array of global cultural and creative fields. Egypt led all participating countries in terms of total number of submissions, followed by Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Lebanon, and the UAE. In terms of other countries, the United States led the list, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Spain, India, Germany, Italy, and Canada.

SZBA announced that its Reading Panel, the committee tasked with reviewing and discussing all entries to assess their compatibility with the Award’s values, orientations, and objectives, had completed its review process and closed the nomination period in early October 2024. During its meetings, chaired by His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, SZBA Secretary-General and ALC Chairman, the Reading Panel evaluated the submitted books, assessing their adherence to the Award’s criteria. The longlists for nominated works are set to be announced by the end of 2024.

The Reading Panel consists of HE Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC and member of the SZBA Scientific Committee; Prof Dr Bilal Orfali, Professor and Sheikh Zayed Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut; and Prof Dr Mohammad Al Safrani, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Taibah University in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Abdulrahman Al Naqbi, Director of the ALC’s Literary Awards Department, also attended the meetings.

"The Sheikh Zayed Book Award continues to experience sustainable growth in quality and calibre of applications submitted, as well as in the number of participating countries", said HE Dr Bin Tamim. "The Award is one of the world’s most prestigious accolades celebrating cultural creators, thinkers, and young publishers. It seeks to honour their valuable contributions in various fields, including development, authorship, and translation in the humanities, as well as their efforts to enrich cultural, literary, and social life. This mission is inspired by the wisdom and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, which underlines the Award’s significance and reinforces its status in cultural circles".

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s diverse categories continue to resonate widely, with the Young Author category leading in popularity, attracting 1,034 submissions and comprising 26% of the total entries. Following closely, the Literature category garnered 1,001 submissions, accounting for 25% of all applications, while Children’s Literature received 439 entries, representing 11% of the total. These figures underscore the Award’s pivotal role in fostering emerging voices and championing literary and cultural expression across generations.

The list continues with the remaining categories of Literary and Art Criticism, Contribution to the Development of Nations, Translation, Arab Culture in Other Languages, Editing of Arabic Manuscripts, Publishing and Technologies, and Cultural Personality of the Year, in that order.

The Award embodies the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, underscoring his pioneering role in driving development and building the nation and its people. The SZBA also reflects Abu Dhabi’s prominent position as a hub for cultural leaders from around the world, fostering closer relations and tolerance among peoples, promoting the Arabic language, and playing a pivotal role in advancing the global publishing sector.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award aims to support the cultural sector, build bridges between various civilisations, foster an appreciation of knowledge, and reward efforts of researchers and authors. The annual Award is presented to cultural leaders, thinkers, creative minds, publishers, and youth, based on scientific and objective criteria, for their contributions in the fields of development, writing, and translation in the humanities that have made a clear impact towards enriching cultural, literary, and social life.