PVLF 2025

Zayed Book Award Opens 20th Edition for Nominations

The 20th Sheikh Zayed Book Award opens for nominations, following a record-breaking year celebrating global literary icons like Murakami and Barakat.
on Jul 04, 2025

Sheikh Zayed Book Award Opens Nominations for Its Historic 20th Edition

After a record-breaking 19th edition, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award—managed by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre headed by Dr. Ali Bin Tamim—has officially opened nominations for its 20th anniversary edition.

The latest awards ceremony, which was held on April 29 at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, drew large numbers of cultural and government officials. Japanese literary legend Haruki Murakami attended in person to receive the coveted Cultural Personality of the Year Award, and award-winning Lebanese writer Hoda Barakat was awarded the Literature Award for her novel Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, published by Dar Aladab, for 2024.

The addition of such internationally acclaimed writers demonstrates increasing popular appeal for the Zayed Book Award, which keeps on honoring excellence in literature, scholarship, and culture.

The 19th installment saw a record 4,000+ nominations from 75 countries, of which 25 were Arab nations. Interestingly, new entries came from nations like Albania, Bolivia, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mali.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi chairman, highlighted the cultural importance of the award:

"As the Sheikh Zayed Book Award marks its 20th edition, we commemorate its inspiring journey and its sustained influence on the international cultural and literary map. Its aim—to promote dialogue, develop the Arabic language, and enhance knowledge exchange—is more pertinent than ever before.

Dr. Ali Bin Tamim echoed the sentiment, highlighting the legacy the award has built over the past two decades:

“The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has become a global platform for intellectual and cultural exchange, firmly rooted in the UAE’s vision for development and cultural leadership. We’ve received over 30,000 nominations from more than 80 countries, and recognized 136 winners across categories.”

Nomination Guidelines for the 20th Edition

Applicants should note the following eligibility criteria:

Single Submission per Category: One work can be submitted by one applicant per category. This single work cannot be submitted to another prize in the same year.

ISBN Requirement: All submitted works must contain a valid ISBN to safeguard intellectual property rights.

No Previous Major Awards: Previously awarded major Arab or international award-winning works are not eligible, though resubmissions are allowed if the time gap requirement is fulfilled and new copies are submitted.

Self or Publisher Nomination: Publishers (with written author agreement) or authors can nominate or be nominated. Publishers may only nominate books they have published.

Recent Publication: The work must have been published in the past two years and must not have been a winner of any of the top international prizes.

Language of Submission: All submissions should be Arabic, with the exception of the "Editing of Arabic Manuscripts" category (accepting other languages), "Translation" (from or into Arabic), and "Arab Culture in Other Languages," which will accept entries in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.

For the highly acclaimed "Cultural Personality of the Year" award, nominations should be made by academic, cultural, or literary institutions, or by three established cultural or intellectual figures. All the other categories need authors to fill in the nomination form themselves on the official award website.

Award Prizes

Cultural Personality of the Year: AED 1 million (approximately US$272,286), and also a gold medal and certificate.

Other Classes: AED 750,000 (approximately US$204,215), gold medal, and certificate for every winner.