The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature (Etisalat Award) has announced that its ninth edition has received entries from the UK, the USA and Cyprus. The foremost Arab world children’s literature award - which is organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and sponsored by the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat Group) - has confirmed that this is the first time that entries have been received from these three countries since its inception in 2009.

The USA has submitted three entries for this year’s Etisalat Award, with the UK and Cyprus submitting one entry each. The organisers say that the receipt of entries from publishing houses based outside the Arab region reflects the growing stature of the Award and stressed that since its inaugural edition, it has been increasingly successful in promoting Arabic children’s literature at a global level. They stated that this has resulted in European and American publishing houses being keen to publish titles specifically for Arab children and young adults. 

“Our ongoing efforts to advance the Etisalat Award have contributed to a highlighting of Arabic children’s literature. This is reflected by the enriching of homes and libraries with high quality Arabic children’s titles, which nurture youngsters’ intellect and attract them to the world of reading. For the first time in the history of the Etisalat Award we have succeeded in attracting publishers from the USA, the UK and Cyprus, which is an important outcome that aligns with our mission, vision and objectives. We would like to reiterate that all publishing houses that publish Arabic children’s books from around the world are eligible to participate in the Etisalat Award,” said Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY.

Al Aqroubi highlighted that the competition, which is one of the most highly regarded children’s literature awards in the Arab world, is open to all participants, whether based in the region or elsewhere across the globe.

Publishers, authors and illustrators interested in taking part in the ninth edition of the Etisalat Award must send in their applications before August 31, 2017, to: 

Al Qasba – Block D – First Floor – Office 45, P.O. Box: 1421, Sharjah – United Arab Emirates, Tel +971 6 5542111, Fax +971 6 5542345, Mobile: + 971 56 1187888, E-mail: info@uaebby.org.ae.

With its vision and objective to elevate the Arabic children’s book industry, the Etisalat Award strives to enhance Arabic culture with outstanding contemporary books. It also aims to reinforce the stature of Arabic children’s literature in the face of modern technological alternatives. Each year, the Award sees a growing number of entries and the last edition witnessed the highest rate of participation, with 151 entries submitted by 53 publishing houses from 13 countries.

The Etisalat Award comprises six categories; ‘Children’s Book of the Year,’ valued at AED 300,000 distributed equally between the publisher, author and illustrator; ‘Young Adult Book of the Year’ worth AED 200,000 distributed equally between the author and publisher and ‘Best Text,’ ‘Best Illustration,’ ‘Best Production’ and ‘Digital Book App of the Year,’ worth AED 100,000 each. AED 300,000 from the Award is dedicated to organising workshops and international conferences to help develop the talent of promising Arab writers, illustrators and publishers through its ‘Warsha’ programme.