The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature is organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and sponsored by “E&” UAE, the world’s leading technology and investment group,
Egypt came in first place with 83 entries, followed by the UAE with 74 entries, Jordan with 31 entries, Lebanon with 24 entries, Saudi Arabia with 23 entries, Canada came in sixth place with 16 entries, followed by Kuwait and Palestine with 12 entries each, Iraq with 11 entries, Oman with 10 entries, Syria with 8 entries, Turkey with 6 entries, Morocco with 4 entries, and publishers from Finland and Spain submitted 3 entries each, followed by two entries from Bahrain, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in addition to one entry from each of Qatar and Tunisia.
In terms of the distribution of entries across the five categories of the award, the “Picture Book” category attracted 123 entries; followed by the “Early Reader” category with 90 entries; then the “Young Adult’s Book” category which received 49 entries; the “Chapter Book” category with 42 entries; and finally the “Poetry” category with 26 entries.
The number of authors nominated to win the award in its sixteenth session reached 213 authors from 24 countries, in addition to 200 illustrators from 27 countries, and 92 publishers from 21 countries.
Mohammed Al Amimi, Acting General Manager, Northern Emirates, E& UAE, said that the award is pleased with the wide geographical scope of countries participating in the 16th Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, which reflects the award’s role in enhancing communication between those working in the children’s book industry, and its contribution to motivating them to produce distinctive books, which is in line with the award’s vision of enhancing communication between peoples, openness to cultures, and supporting innovators in various fields.
Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY, confirmed that the award has begun to receive more high-quality publications every year, from publishers for whom children’s and young adult books have become a top priority, out of their desire to present publications that deserve to win the award, and at the same time are able to continue attracting Arab children to reading. She added that there is a remarkable interest in this edition reflected in the diversity of topics, and the focus on new issues that respect the development of awareness and intelligence of the future generation.
The shortlist of books nominated for the 16th edition of the award will be announced later in October, with the winners to be revealed during the 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair 2024, which will be held from November 6 to 17, after the nominations are evaluated by a specialised jury in each category, which includes experts in children’s literature from the UAE and abroad.
The total value of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature is AED 1.2 million, with AED 180,000 allocated to each of its five categories. This amount is divided equally between the author, illustrator and publisher, with AED 60,000 for each winner, except for the Young Adult category, where the financial prize is shared by the author and publisher only, with AED 90,000 for each. In addition, AED 300,000 has been allocated for the “Warsha” training programme launched by the award in 2013.
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