Abu Dhabi: The Shaikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) announced its Longlist for the Children’s Literature category today.
The category Longlist, which is now in its tenth year, consists of eight children’s books and four for adolescents.
The award was first established in 2007 in memory of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It is presented every year to outstanding writers, intellectuals, and publishers as well as young talents whose writings and translations of the humanities have objectively enriched Arab cultural, literary and social life.
The authors nominated for children’s books are Fatima Sharafeddine for ‘Waraqat Al Qaiqab Al Hamraa’ (The red maple leaf); Hassan Abdullah for ‘Ta’er Al Warwar’ (The bee-eater); Omima Ezzedine’s ‘Al Haqiba Al ajiba’ (The wondrous schoolbag); Jaleel Khazaal for ‘Ahlam’ (Dreams); Sonia Nimr for ‘Qissa Awwalha Wa Akherha Kahayal’ (A story with an imaginary beginning and ending); Mona Otaibi for ‘Ayna Zahabat Noura’ (Where did Noura go?); Bayan Safadi for ‘Akhdar… asfar’ (Green..yellow); and Nouf Alosaimi for ‘Eed fi Ibreeq’ (Fest in a jug).
In the adolescent’s category the following are selected — Badar Al Hamdani for ‘Mamlakat Al Qurood’ (kingdom of apes); Lina Al Hassan Hawyan for ‘Al Bahth ‘an Al Saqr Ghannam’ (Looking for Ghannam, the falcon); Munir Fashah for ‘Hikawati ma’ al kalimat’ (my story with the words); and Ebrahim Farghali for ‘Massasoo Al Hibr’ (Ink vampires).
The Shaikh Zayed Book award is an independent cultural award administered by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, with a total monetary value of seven million dirhams.
The award categories, which are one of the broadest and most diverse of any cultural awards internationally, includes Contribution to the Development of Nations, Children’s Literature [including adolescents’ books], Young Author, Translation, Literature, Literary and Art Criticism, Arabic Culture in Other Languages, Publishing and Technology and Cultural Personality of the Year (open to individuals and organisations).
