Sheikh Zayed Book Award Opens Submissions for 21st Edition — With PDFs Allowed for the First Time
Submissions for the 21st edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award are open until 1 September 2026, and for the first time in the award's history, entrants may submit PDF copies of their nominated works instead of physical books (Publishing Perspectives).
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), which organises the prize, also upgraded its online submission platform this year to streamline participation. Entries are made through the award portal at alcawards.ae/en. The submission window opened on 1 May and runs through 1 September (International Publishers Association).
The award covers ten categories spanning the breadth of Arabic literary and intellectual life: Literature; Translation; Contribution to the Development of Nations; Arab Culture in Other Languages; Children's Literature; Manuscripts, Encyclopedias, and Lexicons; Literary and Art Criticism; Young Author; and Publishing and Technology. A separate Cultural Personality of the Year honour recognises a prominent Arab or international figure or organisation whose creative or intellectual contributions have enriched Arab culture and embodied tolerance and peaceful coexistence (Publishing Perspectives).
Authors may nominate themselves directly or through their publishers, provided the works were published within the past two years and have not already received major international awards. Original submissions must be written in Arabic, though several categories accept entries in other languages. The Arab Culture in Other Languages category, for instance, is open to academic and cultural books published in the last five years in English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish that focus on Arab culture. The Translation category welcomes books translated to or from Arabic within the last two years across all genres. The Publishing and Technology category is open to international publishers, distributors, and cultural organisations using technological innovation to advance publishing. The Manuscripts, Encyclopedias, and Lexicons category accepts works in any language that demonstrate rigorous scientific methods in editing Arabic manuscripts or producing lexicons (Publishing Perspectives).
The 20th anniversary edition, whose submissions closed on 1 September 2025, produced a striking roster of winners. Stefan Weidner won the Arab Culture in Other Languages category for Der arabische Diwan: Die schönsten Gedichte aus vorislamischer Zeit, a German-language anthology of early Arabic poetry. Nawal Nasrallah took the Translation prize for Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits, her translation of a 13th-century Arabic cookbook. Prof. Dr Mohamed Otham Elkhosht won the Manuscripts, Encyclopedias, and Lexicons category for his six-volume Encyclopedia of World Religions. The Emirates Literature Foundation was named winner of the Publishing and Technology category (Publishing Perspectives).
What makes this year's PDF allowance quietly significant is the barrier it removes. Authors and small presses who once had to ship printed copies to Abu Dhabi can now submit digitally, broadening the pool of potential entrants across regions where postal logistics or print costs might have deterred participation.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, named after the founding president of the United Arab Emirates, has run since 2007 and is one of the most richly endowed literary prizes in the Arabic-speaking world. With the 1 September deadline now under three weeks away, the upgraded portal is open for entries.
