Who will win huge cash awards in latest Sharjah book fair edition?

Sharjah: The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) on Tuesday announced the opening of registrations for the 40th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Awards. It will be accepting entries until the end of August.

This year, the annual SIBF will be held November 3 to 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah. SBA will honour local, regional, and global excellence in literature in five awards, including the Sharjah Translation Award ‘Turjuman’, Best Emirati Book, Best Arabic Novel, Best International Book, as well as the Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award.

Emirati book

SIBF’s Dh300,000 Emirati Book Award seeks to encourage local literary talents across four sub-categories: Novel (Dh100,000), Studies (Dh100,000), Travel Literature (Dh50,000), and Theatre Script (Dh50,000). In order to qualify for this award, a book must present a unique point of view; should have been published within the past two years; should not be a revised edition; and should not have already won a local or international literary award.

Arabic novel

The Dh150,000 Best Arabic Novel Award seeks to celebrate and support Arab authors in the region. Novels written in standard Arabic language and published within the past two years can be submitted for the award provided they are not revised editions. Short story collections are not eligible for the award.

International books

With a prize Dh50,000 each for the Best International Book Award for Fiction and Non-fiction categories, SBA seeks to build bridges between different cultures and introduce English language books across several genres to Arab readers. Submissions in these two categories must have been published within the past two years. The writer in either category should not have been a recipient of the Sharjah Award for the Best International Book in the past two years.

Publisher award

The Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award seeks to recognise and honour publishers for their contributions across three sub-categories: Best Local Publisher, Best Arab Publisher and Best International Publisher. The Dh75,000 prize will be divided equally between three winners whose work has served to advance the publishing sector substantially. Publishing houses participating in the 40th edition of SIBF are eligible to apply for this award. The publisher must be a member of a publisher’s association in the country of incorporation and should have published at least 10 books in the same year of the award.

Turjuman Award

SBA will also receive applications for the fourth edition of the Dh1.3-million Sharjah Translation Award ‘Turjuman’. This award promotes Arabic literary works globally by encouraging international translators and publishers to pick up titles by renowned Arab authors for translation. The key mission of the award is to contribute to global appreciation of Arabic literature and enhance cross-cultural communication by encouraging the creation of content that promotes transparency and humanist values.

The Turjuman Award is open to international publishing houses, which have published translations of an original publication in Arabic. Publishers may submit more than one work for the jury’s consideration.

How to apply?

Online application forms can be accessed on the SIBF website, which has the complete list of criteria, and other terms and conditions for the awards.