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Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature Shortlists

Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature Shortlists

Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, has announced the shortlisted entries in its Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature categories for the 2022 edition, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Thursday.

Together the three shortlists consist of nine works from Egypt, Morocco, the UAE, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Syria, WAM said.

Selected from a longlist of 15 entries, the shortlist for the Literature category features three works: Ghorbat Al Manazil (Strangers at Home) by novelist Ezzat Elkamhawy (Egypt), published by Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah in 2021; Wa Tahmelany Hayraty Wa Dh’anony. Seerat Altakween (Composition Biography: Thoughts and Confusion Carry Me) by critic and academic Said Bengrad (Morocco), published by Le Centre Culturel Du Livre in 2021; and Maq’ha Reesh, Ain Ala Massr (Eye on Egypt: Reesh Café) by Maisoon Saqer (UAE), published by Nahdet Misr Publishing in 2021.

Chosen from a longlist of 14, the three shortlisted works for the Young Author category are: Al Kaa’in al Balaghi al Lugha wal Aaql wal Istita’a fi Kitab ‘Al Bayan wal Tabyeen (Rhetorical Object: Language, Reason, and Ability in the Book ‘Al-Bayan wal-Tabyeen’) by Mustafa Rajwan (Morocco), published by Dar Kunouz Al Maarifa for publication and distribution in 2021; Al Badawa fi al She’er al Arabi al Qadeem (Bedouinism in Ancient Arabic Poetry) by Dr. Mohamed Al-Maztouri (Tunisia), issued by the Faculty of Literature, Arts and Humanities at Manouba University and the GLD Foundation (Al-Atrash Complex for Specialised Books) in 2021; and Al Hikaya al Shaabiya al Saudia al Maktooba bil Fus’ha: Dirasa fi al Muta’aliyat al Nasiya (Saudi Folk Tales Written in Fus’ha: A Study of Textual Transcendence) by Manal Salem Al-Qathami (Saudi Arabia), issued by the Arab Diffusion Foundation in 2021.

In the Children’s Literature category, the three shortlisted entries – selected from a longlist of 10 works – are: Shams Tadhak (A Laughing Sun) by Bayan Al-Safadi (Syria), published by Dar Al Banan in 2020; Loghz al Kora al Zujajiya (The Mystery of the Glass Ball) by Maria Daadoush (Syria), published by Dar Al-Saqi in 2021; and Maw’idi maa al Noor (My Date with the Light) by Raja Mellah (Morocco), published by Al Mu’allif for publishing, printing, and distribution in 2021.

The Young Author category attracted the highest number of entries for the Award this year, with 881 submissions, while the Literature category received 852 submissions, and the Children’s Literature category recorded 236 submissions.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award will announce the shortlists of its other categories over the coming weeks.

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Cultural Development Fund Reports Strong Q1 2026 Growth and Impact

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Cultural Development Fund Reports Strong Q1 2026 Growth and Impact

Cultural Development Fund Reports Strong Q1 2026 Growth and Impact

The Cultural Development Fund has announced its results for the first quarter of 2026, demonstrating significant growth in financial performance and developmental impact. This underscores the fund's role as a key financial enabler and center of excellence in developing a sustainable cultural sector, enhancing Saudi culture as a vital economic and social pillar, SPA reported.

Since its inception, the fund has provided over SAR770 million in financial support to 165 cultural projects across various sub-sectors and regions of the Kingdom. It has also benefited more than 1,630 creative individuals and entrepreneurs through developmental services aimed at building entrepreneurial capabilities.

The fund achieved a 30% increase in financial returns compared to the same period in 2025, contributing an estimated SAR4.1 billion to GDP and creating over 12,540 job opportunities.

Additionally, it has stimulated private sector involvement with approximately SAR1.1 billion in contributions, reflecting growing confidence in developing the cultural sector.

These figures highlight the fund's essential role in empowering the private sector and fostering innovative financial solutions that promote growth and enhance the quality of life, aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

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Historic Jeddah Showcases Cultural Heritage at Umrah and Ziyarah Forum

The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA
The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA
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Historic Jeddah Showcases Cultural Heritage at Umrah and Ziyarah Forum

The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA
The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah - SPA

Historic Jeddah participated in the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum to highlight its historical role as a key gateway for pilgrims to Makkah, while introducing visitors to its cultural status and the ongoing development projects that reinforce its status as a heritage destination, SPA reported.

The pavilion introduced visitors to the "Historic Hajj Trail" supported by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, designed as a sequential narrative that retraces the pilgrim’s journey from arriving at Bab Al-Bunt Port, now the Red Sea Museum, to Makkah Gate, passing through prominent historical sites that reflect Jeddah’s role in serving pilgrims.

The pavilion highlighted the distinctive architectural features of Historic Jeddah and its long-standing role as a major port for pilgrims since the 7th century CE and also featured interactive content showcasing the area’s cultural and social fabric.

This participation forms part of the "Revitalization of Historic Jeddah" project, led by the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the National Culture Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.

Culture

Geisha Spectacle in Japan’s Kyoto Celebrates Arrival of Spring

Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
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Geisha Spectacle in Japan’s Kyoto Celebrates Arrival of Spring

Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)
Maiko (apprentice geisha) take part in a press interview ahead a rehearsal for the annual "Miyako Odori" -- which means "capital city dance" in Japanese, at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in Kyoto on March 31, 2026. (AFP)

Against a backdrop of blooming cherry blossoms, a group of geishas elegantly shuffle onto a stage in Japan's Kyoto city to begin a centuries-old performance celebrating the arrival of spring.

Dressed in sky blue kimonos emblazoned with flowers, the dancers twist and twirl in unison in front of hundreds of spectators eager to see the annual "Miyako Odori" in the nation's spectacular ancient capital.

Geishas, known as geikos in Kyoto, and apprentices called maikos have been donning elaborate costumes and fluttering fans since the Miyako Odori -- or "capital city dance" -- first started in 1872.

"Just as cherry blossoms bloom when spring approaches, the Miyako Odori is a spring tradition in Kyoto," Kyoko Sugiura, head of the Yasaka Nyokoba Gakuen, a school for geishas in Kyoto's Gion district, told AFP.

In Japanese, the word geisha means "person of the arts", and can refer to a woman or man trained in traditional Japanese performing arts.

In the popular imagination geishas are often confused with courtesans but their work as trained masters of refined old artforms does not involve selling sex.

Their performances are usually small and private, and take place at high-class establishments which operate a no first-time customer policy.

"That's why it is often thought of as a very exclusive world," Sugiura said.

"But the Miyako Odori is a one-hour show in which geisha and maiko have the opportunity to showcase the arts they practise daily," she said.

"Anyone and everyone with a ticket can enjoy the show."

The Miyako Odori began soon after Kyoto hosted Japan's first national expo -- an effort to revitalize the western city following the relocation of the capital to Tokyo in 1869.

The format of the performance has not changed much, Sugiura explained, although the music and dance moves are sometimes switched up.

Maria Superata, a geisha expert who has worked with them as an interpreter, explained that the show "combines all of the traditional performing arts that you can see in Japan".

"For example, elements from kabuki (classical Japanese theatre), elements from traditional dance. So they have to act, they have to sing, they have to play the instruments, everything all in one," she said.

"That's why it's so special."

But the number of geishas, who once made a living through performing for Japan's wealthy elite, is in decline.

Superata said that fewer young Japanese want a life that demands huge discipline and comes with a strict practice schedule.

"Nowadays, young Japanese people... are not very interested that much in traditional art and in kimono."