Sharjah 24: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, witnessed, during the activities of the 15th session of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), the launch of the 16th edition of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature.

The award is supervised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People and sponsored by e& UAE, the world's leading technology and investment group.

This came during His Highness’s visit to the pavilion of the UAE Board on Books for Young People, accompanied by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and Honorary President of the Emirates Board, Abdul Aziz Taryam, Advisor to the CEO and Director General of e& UAE in the Northern Regions, and Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAE Board on Books for Young People.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah was briefed on the key categories of the new award session: "Early Reader," "Picture Book," "Chapter Book," "Young Adults," and "Poetry Book," which is a biennial category spanning the 15th and 16th editions of the award.

The "Early Reader" category focuses on children's books from birth to five years, with a maximum of five books allowed per publisher. On the other hand, the "Young Adults" category (13-18 years) encompasses novels, non-fiction, and fantasy books aimed at young adults, with publishers permitted to offer an unlimited number of books. However, these books must be distinctive, either new or modified, and should feature a compelling story, engaging dialogue, an attractive plot, and well-developed characters.

In the "Picture Book" category (5-9 years old), participants can submit a maximum of five books. Meanwhile, the "Chapter Book" category (9-12 years old) aims to tell stories through prose rather than pictures, with publishers allowed to submit an unlimited number of books, provided they are distinctive, new, or modified.

The "Poetry Book" category (up to 18 years) is geared towards poetry books for children and young people, covering various topics like nature, animals, friendship, and family. Publishers can provide any number of books for this category, ensuring each book demonstrates creativity, originality, and attractiveness, with a high level of poetic skill in terms of weight and meaning.

The " Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature " holds a total value of 1.2 million dirhams. Each of its five categories receives 180 thousand dirhams, equally divided among the author, illustrator, and publisher, amounting to 60,000 dirhams for each winner. However, in the young adult category, the financial prize is split between the author and publisher, with each receiving 90,000 dirhams.

Additionally, the award allocates 300,000 dirhams to its workshop programme, which aims to discover and nurture new Arab talents in children’s and youth books. The program aims to develop their creative abilities to produce books that reflect the local Arab cultural identity and meet the highest international standards.

The award invites creators of books for children and young people in Arabic, including authors, publishers, and illustrators worldwide, to submit their entries by August 31. Entries should be sent as photocopies of the nominated books to the UAE Books for Young People’s email address at [email protected], with the applicant's name included.

It's important to note that the nominated books must be original works in Arabic, published in print, and must not infringe on intellectual property or publishing rights. Additionally, they should not have previously won another award or been published more than five years ago.

The award excludes publications in the form of book series, educational, scientific, school, electronic, audiobooks, or manuscripts. Similarly, collections of short stories, articles, or CVs are not accepted.

Entries must be submitted from an officially registered publishing house, and previous books are not allowed to be resubmitted. The jury reserves the right to withhold the award or exclude any work that does not comply with the conditions, and its decisions may not be appealed. The winners of the sixteenth session will be announced and honored during the next session of the Sharjah International Book Exhibition 2024.