Abu Dhabi honours writers, translators and cultural voices shaping conversations across borders.
- Sheikh Zayed Book Award celebrates two decades of cultural achievement.
- Winners represent literature, translation, criticism, research and publishing.
- More than 4,000 nominations arrived from 74 countries this year.
- Najat Al Saghira receives Cultural Personality of the Year honours.
- Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Becomes A Meeting Point
There is something different about a book fair when people arrive looking for more than books. At ADNEC Abu Dhabi this week, readers, writers, researchers and cultural institutions have gathered around conversations that travel well beyond the page. The Sheikh Zayed Book Award became one of those moments, marking its 20th edition during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Ideas took centre stage.
The numbers tell part of the story. More than 4,000 nominations from 74 countries entered this year’s award, while the programme has received approximately 33,000 submissions from nearly 80 countries since 2006. That international reach gives the ceremony a distinctly global character. Abu Dhabi is hosting the conversation.
Across the awards, the winning names reflect just how broad Arabic cultural production can be. Egyptian author Ashraf Al Elashmawy won in Literature, while Moroccan researcher Mustapha Rajouane received the Young Author award. Iraqi-American researcher Nawal Nasrallah was recognised for Translation, and Jordanian author Zuhair Tawfiq won Literary and Art Criticism. Different disciplines. One stage.
For readers, the most interesting part may be what happens after a book leaves the shelf. Translation can carry an Arabic work into another language, research can open an old manuscript to a new audience, and criticism can change how a familiar piece of literature is understood. The award has supported that exchange with more than 50 titles translated into 12 languages since 2018.
The ceremony also brought a familiar cultural voice into focus. Egyptian artist Najat Al Saghira was honoured as Cultural Personality of the Year for a career whose songs helped keep Arabic poetry and language close to generations of listeners. Her recognition added music to an event otherwise centred on books and scholarship. Culture rarely stays in one category.
For Abu Dhabi residents and visitors moving through the city’s cultural calendar, the ceremony also offered a snapshot of how literature is becoming increasingly social, international and accessible. From ADNEC’s busy halls to literary discussions and cultural programmes around the fair, books are being treated as starting points for conversation rather than quiet objects alone. That feels timely.
Two decades after its creation, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award now counts 144 individuals and institutions among its honourees. Its latest ceremony brought that history into the present, placing writers, researchers, translators and cultural institutions in the same room. For Abu Dhabi, it was a celebration of books. For readers, it was a reminder of where a good idea can travel!
