Sharjah: The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature announced that publishers of Arabic children’s and young people’s literature worldwide can submit their applications online through the award’s official website: www.etisalataward.ae, till the end of August.
Designed to simplify the submissions procedure, the award’s website includes the entry form and eligibility criteria, which stipulate that the entry should be a book targeting children and young adults aged 0-18 and that its content should have a high degree of artistic merit, and it should be original and written in Arabic. Translated entries are not eligible.
The participants in the Young Adult Category, aged 13-18, should attach a soft copy (PDF file) of their entries, and send them before July 31, which is the deadline for receiving electronic version of entries.
In addition to submission instructions, the website provides information about the value of the award, which is worth Dh1 million distributed over the five categories as follows: ‘Children’s Book of the Year’, valued at Dh300,000 to be distributed equally between the publisher, author and illustrators; ‘Young Adult Book of the Year’, worth Dh200,000 to be distributed equally between the author and publisher; and ‘Best Text’, ‘Best Illustration’ and ‘Best Production’ categories worth Dh100,000 each. And Dh200,000 from the award is dedicated to organising workshops to build Arab youth capacities in writing and illustration.
The award is organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), and sponsored by Emirates Telecommunication Company (Etisalat).
“This step falls under our strategy to publish and distribute Arabic children’s books, which plays a key role in inspiring younger generations with constructive bright ideas that contribute to building their personalities and capabilities,” said Marwa Al Aqroubi, president of the UAEBBY Executive Board.
