SBA announces new publishing rights award
A new publishing rights award will be presented at the 12th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Publishers Conference in 2022 by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).
Designed to support rights professionals and enhance opportunities for industry growth, the debut Sharjah Rights Connection Award will be presented in two distinct categories: one, for an individual professional selling translation rights at a publishing company; and second, for independent professionals or those working with specialised agencies to sell the rights to books to publishers and other licensors.
The Publishers Conference was launched in 2011 with a groundbreaking rights translation grant programme that has supported the translation of works across all languages. The SIBF translation grant has since enabled the publication of 1672 books across 41 languages and the vibrant matchmaking programme that facilitates it at the annual SIBF Publishers Conference has been the axis of many new connections across the rights trading world with a unique emphasis on bringing new markets and publishers into the trading mix.
Organised in the lead-up to the annual book fair, the SIBF Publishers Conference is a robust platform for buying and selling rights, signing book deals, exploring translation opportunities, and serving other commercial interests of the sector.
Global rights professionals can nominate themselves or be endorsed by their companies to be eligible for either of the two categories of the Sharjah Rights Connection Award.
Submissions must be made in English with two 500-word testimonials from clients that the nominated professional currently works with to make a compelling case for why they should win the award. Only individuals can apply, team submissions will not be accepted.
Applicants must specify the category they are applying for together with personal contact details. Applicants can also volunteer information not exceeding 1,000 words on the growth of their business during the previous year, successful deals clinched, innovations, partnerships, and other achievements, with supporting images.
The registration deadline for the inaugural Sharjah Rights Connection Award is October 7, 2022. The winners will be announced at the 12th SIBF Publishers Conference in November 2022. Global rights professionals can apply for the award on SIBF.com.
