The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, one of the world’s leading prizes dedicated to Arabic literature and culture, is open to receive submissions for its nine categories until Saturday 1st October 2022. 

Since 2006 the Award has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding works by authors, translators, researchers, publishers, and organisations around the world. Not only does winning the award bring immense prestige to the winners, but each laureate also receives a cash prize of £170,000, to both recognise their achievements and support them in their future literary work.

Of the nine award categories, three are open to international submissions: the Translation category accepts works of any genre (fiction, poetry and non-fiction) translated either to or from Arabic, while, the Arabic Culture in Other Languages category recognises works, published in languages other than Arabic, on aspects of Arab civilisation and culture from fields including the humanities, fine arts, literature and history. Finally, the Publishing and Technology category is dedicated to publishers, distributors, research institutions and cultural institutions, which promote Arab literature and culture through various forms.

The categories dedicated to books written in Arabic, include Young Authors, Literature (including poetry, short stories, novels, biographies, playscripts, and more), Contribution to the Development of Nations, Children’s Literature (including young adult titles), and Literary and Art Criticism. 

To find out more and to submit your nomination, please visit and register on the SZBA submissions portal.