Sharjah: Local, regional and international publishers have until September 1 to submit their applications for the 39th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Awards, organisers announced on Thursday.
A total of Dh2 million has been allocated by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), which runs SIBF, to honour local, regional and global excellence in publishing. As an established and annual international cultural event, activities of the SIBF cover more than just promoting Arabic and international books and the publishing industry.
Nominations are open in seven categories, including Best Emirati Book, Best Arabic Novel, Best Creative Emirati Book (Travel), Best Emirati Book in the Field of Studies, Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award and Best International Book Awards for Fiction and Non-fiction.
Honouring Emirati literary talents
One of the aims of the SIBF Awards is to encourage Emirati literary talents through the Emirati Book Award, which includes four sub-categories: Novel, Studies, Creativity, and Theatre Script. The four winners of these sub-categories will each receive a cash prize of Dh100,000.
According to SBA, the Creativity Award this year will focus on travel literature that highlight the amazing experiences and journeys of Emirati authors.
To qualify, the 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.
Advancing regional literature
To celebrate and support Arab authors in the region, the SBA has also dedicated a prize of Dh150,000 for the Best Arabic Novel.
The submitted literary work must be a novel written in standard Arabic language. It must have been published within the past two years and is not a revised edition. Short story collections are not eligible for the award.
Reinforcing global cultural bridges
SBA has also set a prize of Dh50,000 each for the Best International Book Award for Fiction and Non-fiction categories to build bridges between different cultures and introduce foreign literature to Arab readers.
Submissions in these two categories must have been published within the past two years and the writer should not be a recipient of the Sharjah Award for the Best International Book in the past two years.
Honouring publishers
SBA has created the Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award to advance the publishing sector by recognising and honouring publishers for their contributions with a prize of Dh75,000 divided equally among its three sub-categories: Best Local Publisher, Best Arab Publisher and Best International Publisher.
Only participating publishing houses in the current SIBF edition 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 same the year of the award.
Turjuman Award
SBA also continue to receive applications for the fourth edition of the Sharjah Translation Award ‘Turjuman’ until September 1.
The Dh1.3 million award is aimed at promoting Arabic titles globally. International translators and publishers will pick up titles written by renowned Arab authors and translate them for a global audience. The aim is to contribute to global appreciation of Arabic literature and enhance cross-cultural communication.
How to apply?
Online applications can be accessed on the SIBF website.
