Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2021: Six titles from the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are shortlisted

The final two shortlists for the annual award have been revealed

From left: 'Al Ghaos Abu Sabaat Arzaq' by Ahmad Mohammed bin Thani; 'Khetab Al Omtholah, Hewar Al Al Fikr wa Al Sultah Moqarabah Tadawlyah Maarfyah' by Said Jebbar; 'Masar Al Tahdeeth fe Al Fonoon Al Show more

Six more titles hailing from the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia have been shortlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, it has been announced.

The shortlist for the Contribution to the Development of Nations category was released, alongside that of Literary and Art Criticism.

Books shortlisted for the former category are: Al Ghaos Abu Sabaat Arzaq (Diving: A Rich Source of Livelihoods) by Emirati writer Ahmad Mohammed bin Thani; Al Intiqal Ella Al Democatyah: Matha Yastafeed Al Arab men Tajarob Al Akhareen? (Transitioning to Democracy: What Can Arabs Learn from Others' Experiences?) by Dr Ali Eldin Hillal from Egypt; and Turath Al Iste'ela'a bayn Al Folklor wa Al Majal Al Deeny (Legacy of Supremacy between Folklore and Religion) by Dr Saeed El-Masry, also from Egypt.

For the Literary and Art Criticism award, the following works were shortlisted: Khetab Al Omtholah, Hewar Al Al Fikr wa Al Sultah Moqarabah Tadawlyah Maarfyah (A Parable Discourse, the Dialogue of Thought and Authority – a Deliberative Cognitive Approach) by Moroccan researcher Said Jebbar; Masar Al Tahdeeth fe Al Fonoon Al Tashkelyah, men Al Orsomah ella Al Lawha (The Path of Modernisation in the Visual Arts, From Drawing to Painting) by Tunisian author Khelil Gouia; and Akhlaqyat Al Taaweel: men Antologia Al Nass ella Antologia Al Fahm (The Ethics of Interpretation: from the Ontology of the Script to the Ontology of Comprehension) by Moroccan author Mohamed El-Hirech.

This is the final batch of shortlists to be revealed, as the nominated books for the Literature and Children's Literature categories, as well as Arab Culture in Other Languages and Translation, were announced earlier this month.

What is the Sheikh Zayed Book Award?

The award, which commemorates the UAE's Founding Father Sheikh Zayed, aims to honour outstanding innovators from the literary and cultural sectors, as well as young talent whose work enriches Arab intellectual, cultural, literary and social life.

Now in its 15th year, the award has seen a rise in submissions across the board, with the Contribution to the Development of Nations category seeing a 17 per cent increase in nominations, as a total of 262 entries were received. Literary and Art Criticism received 199 submissions, an increase of 6 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Publishing and Technology category saw an increase of 82 per cent in the number of submissions compared to the previous year, with a total of 71, while the Arab Culture in Other Languages category saw a 41 per cent increase.

The overall winners will be revealed during a virtual ceremony in May, when the recipient of the Cultural Personality of the Year accolade will also be presented with a gold medal and certificate of merit, as well as Dh1 million.

Winners from the other categories will also get a medal and certificate, plus Dh750,000.