Dubai: As part of its corporate service responsibility, Etisalat has said it will be sponsoring the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), for the 10th successive year.
The award programme is designed to raise the profile of Arabic literature for children and young people and it supports authors, illustrators and publishers to spread a culture of reading with incentives of prizes amounting to Dh1.2 million.
Abdul Aziz Taryam, CEO adviser and general manager, Northern Emirates, Etisalat, told Gulf News that encouraging children to read is one of the highest callings to bring a new generation into the modern working world.
“The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature is one of the most important and prestigious awards aimed at enriching the cultural landscape in the UAE and the Arab world with creative and quality books,” he said.
“This is based on Etisalat’s sense of social responsibility to promote creativity and provide titles dedicated to children and young people, who are a key pillar in building the future of the country.”
The communications firm believes the award enables youth to be more knowledgeable through literature.
“This will encourage children and young people to read, and motivate people involved in this sector to achieve excellence and spark their innovation and creativity,” Taryam said.
He lauded the award organisers, UAE Board on Books for Young People, and its Shaikha Budoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi.
He noted that Shaikha Budoor has helped the award to become known as one of the milestone cultural initiatives to enhance the children’s literature industry.
“Year after year, participation has been increasing and widened its scope, from one category in 2009 for the Best Children’s Book of the Year, to five categories recognising the authors, publishers, producers, illustrators and app developers under the newly added category Digital Book App of the Year,” he said.
“The prize attracts a growing number of people involved in the children’s book sector from all over the Arab world who are keen to showcase their latest creations. This will help raise the profile of Arabic children’s literature offering new and varied creative content and contribute to a renaissance in this sector in terms of text, illustrations, production, digital book apps and much more.”
