Recognised as one of the most important children’s literature prizes in the Arab world, the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, has announced that it is now accepting submissions by publishers, authors, illustrators and app developers for books written in Arabic for children and young people from across the world for the year 2017. The award is organised by the Sharjah-based UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), and sponsored by the Etisalat Group.
Contestants in the 2017 edition have until the end of August to submit their applications. Prizes to be won are cumulatively worth AED 1,200,000. Winners will be announced at the opening ceremony of the 36th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair this November.
The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature features six categories: Children’s Book of the Year, worth AED 300,000, to be distributed equally between the author, illustrator and publisher; Young Adult’s Book of the Year, worth AED 200,000, to be distributed equally between the author and publisher; Best Text, Best Illustration, Best Production, and Digital Book App of the Year, which are each worth AED 100,000.
As part of the ‘Warsha’ programme, which supports and inspires a new generation of writers, illustrators, and publishers, an additional AED 300,000 will be dedicated to workshops for harnessing people’s ability to write and illustrate children’s books.
The competition is open to all international publishers, as long as the book is written in Arabic, is a first-edition, and designed for children and young people under 18 years of age. The submissions should have not previously won Arab or international prizes.