With every day that passes, different regions of the world are prioritising and continuing to drive their efforts to recognise and appreciate writers from around the world. One of these places is Abu Dhabi, with the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), which was established in 2006.

With the intention to recognise the contributions of intellectuals, researchers, and authors, and to celebrate writers, scholars, translators, cultural leaders, institutions, and organisations, the SZBA does its part in giving back to the literary world and encouraging writers from around the world for their literary works. Providing new opportunities for Arabic-speaking writers, the SZBA recognises authors who write about Arab culture and civilisation in languages ranging from English to French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.

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This year, for its 18th edition, the SZBA recently announced its shortlisted writers, featuring authors and institutions from 16 different countries and showcasing the reach of Arab culture around the world. The shortlist included writers across the following categories: Literature, Young Author, Translation, Contribution to the Development of Nations, Arab Culture in Other Languages, Editing of Arabic Manuscripts, and Publishing and Technology.

The winners were announced on 4 April, 2024, with the ceremony being hosted by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the SZBA Board of Trustees. The ceremony was  attended by board members Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, cultural adviser to the president of the UAE; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi); Saood Al Hosani, undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi; Dr Ali bin Tamim, secretary general of the SZBA and chairman of the ALC; Abdulla Majed Al Ali, director-general of the National Library and Archives; and Abdulrahman Mohamed Alnaqbi, director of the Literary Award Department at ALC.

On 4 April, the SZBA announced its winners across all categories. Egyptian writer Reem Bassiouney won the Literature Award for her novel Al Halwani...Thulathiyat al-Fatimiyeen (Nahdet Misr Publishing, Printing and Distribution, 2022). Dr Houssem Eddine Chachia from Tunisia won under the Young Author category for the work he has done on Al Mashhad al-Moriski: Sardiyat al-Tard fi al-Fikr al-Espani (The Morisco Landscape Narratives of Expulsion in Modern Spanish Thought), issued by the Centre for Research and Knowledge Intercommunication in 2023. Dr Mustafa Said from Egypt won under the Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category for his study, Safinat al-Mulk wa-Nafisat al-Fulk (Shehab al-Din) al-Muwashah wa-Musiqa al-Maqam al-Natiqa bil-Arabiya bayn al-Tantheer wal-Maras [The Ship of Possession and the Precious Ship (Shehab al-Din)—Muwashah and Arabic-speaking Maqam Music between Theory and Practice] (ElAin Publishing, 2023). Dr Khalifa Alromaithi from the UAE won under the Contribution to the Development of Nations, for Al-Asmaa' al-Jughrafiya—Thakirat Ajyal (Geographical Names —Legacy of Generations) (Austin Macauley Publishers, 2022). Dr Ahmed Somai from Tunisia won under the Translation category for his translation of La Scienza Nuova (The New Science) by Giambattista Vico, titled Al-Ilm al-Jadeed. It was translated from the Italian into Arabic (Adab Publishing and Distribution, 2022). Lastly, Frank Griffel won under the category of Arab Culture in Other Languages, for his book The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam (Oxford University Press, 2021).

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Awarding writers from across the world for the hard work put into their literary contributions is an admirable effort to recognise them and encourage more writers to join the ever-growing landscape of the literary world. With that, this year's award ceremony was wrapped up, leaving both readers and writers to anticipate the nominees and winners of the next iteration. 

Syeda Erum Noor is devoted to learning about the craft of writing and is an avid reader who can talk endlessly about the magic of books. Reach her on Instagram at @syedaerumnoorwrites.