Rabat – Seven Moroccan literary works are set to compete in the 14th annual Sheikh Zayed Book Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in the Arabic-speaking world.
Of the 411 books submitted by writers from various Arab countries, only 21 made the cut—and a third are by Moroccan authors.
Writers from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria are among the hundreds who have submitted works to be considered for the competition’s various prizes.
The competition for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has two main categories.
The “Contributions to the Development of Nations” category received 223 submissions, but only eleven titles will be considered for the grand prize.
Two books selected to compete in this category are authored by Moroccans: “The Crisis of Reading and Culture in Morocco and the Arab world” by Mohamed Bousselam and “Ibn Rushd and the Construction of the Arab Intellectual Renaissance” by Aziz Haddadi.
Ten books from 188 submissions will compete in the “Arts and Critical Studies Category.” Moroccan writers Abdurrahman Tamara, Lahcen Ben Aiza, Abderrahim Jiran, and Mohammad Amarach dominate this category, holding half of the participating titles.
The competition will also give one award in several additional categories. The official titles of these categories have not yet been announced but will include “Cultural Personality of the Year.”
The additional categories change every year. In previous years, these categories included “Children’s Literature,” “Young Author,” “Translation,” “Literature,” “Literary and Art Criticism,” “Arab Culture in Other Languages,” and “Publishing and Technology.”
The Sheikh Zayed Book prize was established in 2007 in memory of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who died in 2004. Sheikh Zayed founded the UAE and acted as the country’s president for over 30 years. He was also the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
With a total prize value of $1,905,830 (MAD 18,392,993), the Sheikh Zayed Book Award is one of the most lucrative literary awards in the world.
The “Cultural Personality of the Year” category includes an award of around $300,000 (MAD 2,895,272). Winners in the other categories receive around $200,000 each.
The competition awards writers whose works have scholarly and objectively enriched Arab cultural, literary, and social life.
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