This award aims to encourage both authors and publishers alike to contribute to the country’s intellectual and scientific development. It also aims to promote literature in the UAE by supporting research, publishing, writing, and content creation.
Categories
• The Best Emirati Novel Award
• The Best Emirati Academic Book
• The Best Creative Literature Book (Poetry)
• The Best Emirati First Novel Award
Awad bin Hasum Al Darmaki for Ahd Al Jerah
Kareem Maatouq for Poems from Wadi Akbar
Dr. Fatima Al Braiki for Gharbana Be Qalam Al Ghorab
Ali Al Abdan for Al Aghani Al Emirateya: Masarateha Al Oula Wa Masaderha Al Qadeema
This award honours Emirati novelists of all generations who wrote outstanding Emirati novels. The prize is worth AED 100,000.
This award honours research and scholarly publications related to the United Arab Emirates in various fields (culture, literature, criticism, society, art, law). The prize is worth AED 100,000.
This award honours non-fiction literary works. The current edition is dedicated to poetry. The prize is worth AED 50,000.
This award honours debut Emirati novelists who have written an outstanding first novel. The prize is worth AED 50,000.
• The participants must submit books that are original and tackle new themes.
• Books that were published more than two years before the relevant edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair are not eligible. This rule, however, does not apply to the Best Emirati Novel Award in the categories of Creative literature and First Novel -- the books that fall into these categories and that were published within the past three years are eligible.
• Only books that have been recently published are eligible -- older books that have been reprinted will not be considered.
• A writer who has won a prize is not allowed to compete in the same category for a period of two years after winning the prize.
• The Administration is not required to return the books submitted by the participants.
• The Administration reserves the right to use the cover or excerpts of the winning books for marketing purposes without prior consultation with the publisher or the writer.
• The participants have no rights whatsoever to contest the decisions of the jury.
• The winners will be invited to the awards ceremony during the Sharjah International Book Fair.
• The winners will be announced at the start of the Sharjah International Book Fair.
• The prize will be shared equally between the author and the publishing house, unless the publishing contract and the intellectual property rights state otherwise.
• The writer will receive due recognition for his/her work.
