Under the patronage of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced the winners and Cultural Personality of the year for the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA).
The announcement on Tuesday followed a meeting of the SZBA Board of Trustees, which discussed the final results of the evaluation process led by the judging panels and the award's Scientific Committee, based on the highest literary and cultural standards.
This year's winners hail from seven countries - the UK, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco and the UAE. The selection of the winners was based on objective, scientific criteria and rigorous governance upheld by the award.
The meeting was headed by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the SZBA Board of Trustees, and attended by Board members Dr. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to the UAE President; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi); Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the DCT Abu Dhabi; Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Director-General of the National Archives and Library; Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC and Secretary-General of the SZBA; and Abdulrahman Al Naqbi, Director of the ALC's Literary Awards Department.
"With its forward-looking vision and pledge to the highest standards of evaluation and governance, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award reinforces the UAE's position as a global center for creativity and knowledge,” said Al Mubarak.
“It has moved beyond being a simple act of recognition to become a strategic national initiative promoting the production of knowledge, and a catalyst for a cultural and scientific movement, reflecting our leadership's commitment to culture and knowledge as cornerstones of sustainable development and human prosperity."
Dr. Bin Tamim congratulated the winners for their outstanding achievements.
“Their works were inspiring, tackling new and distinguished topics that delve deep into the human condition and shed light on time and history, which made them stand out to the Award organizers and earn their admiration,” he said.
He also congratulated the Cultural Personality of the Year—Haruki Murakami—adding that the renowned Japanese novelist has truly merited this accolade for his body of literary work, characterized by its unique style between fantasy and extreme realism.
He noted that the author's literature and writings have made a profound influence far beyond Japan, and his selection this year reaffirms the award's determination to connect various cultures and civilizations through dialogue, literature, and intellectual thought.
Lebanese/French author Hoda Barakat won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Literature category for her novel 'Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World'. Moroccan writer Latifa Labsir won the Children's Literature category for her book 'The Phantom of Sabiba'.
In the Translation category, Marco Di Branco from Italy won for his translation from Arabic to English of 'Orosius' by Paulus Orosius. Dr. Said Laouadi from Morocco received the SZBA in the Literary and Art Criticism category for his book 'Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage'.
The Contribution to the Development of Nations category saw Emirati Prof. Dr. Mohammed Bechari win for his book 'The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women's Rights'.
UK researcher Andrew Peacock won in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category for his book 'Arabic Literary Culture in Southeast Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries'.
In the Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category, the SZBA went to Rasheed Alkhayoun from Iraq/UK for his critical edition of the book 'News of Women'.
The award honored renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami as the Cultural Personality of the Year in recognition of his creative career and widespread literary influence, unbound by borders, impacting both Arab and Western cultures. His works are widely read and translated worldwide, reflecting literature's ability to bring differing cultures closer together.
The winners and Cultural Personality of the Year for the award's 19th edition will be honored on April 28 in a ceremony organized by the ALC in parallel with the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF).
