20th Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Longlists

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has unveiled the longlisted works for the Translation, Contribution to the Development of Nations, and Literary and Art Criticism categories for its 20th edition (2025-2026). The lists were announced as the judging committees began the evaluation of all longlisted entries.

Organised by the ALC, the 20th edition of the award received over 4,000 submissions from 74 countries, including 21 Arab nations and 53 other countries from around the world.

The highest number of submissions was recorded in the Literature category, followed by Young Author and Children’s Literature. Next in the ranking were the Literary and Art Criticism, Contribution to the Development of Nations, Translation, Arab Culture in Other Languages, Editing of Arabic Manuscripts, Publishing and Technology, and Cultural Personality of the Year.

The longlist for the Translation category includes nine titles translated to and from Arabic across four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and French. Translators represent eight countries: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and Syria.

Six titles were selected for the Contribution to the Development of Nations category’s longlist, submitted from four Arab countries: Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, and Egypt. The longlisted works address intellectual and knowledge-related issues intersecting with development and the concept of the modern state.

The longlist for the Literary and Art Criticism category features 10 titles from eight countries: the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The selected works cover a range of topics from literary criticism to philosophy, theatre arts, and identity studies.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre with the support of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), reaffirms its position as one of the most prominent literary and intellectual awards in the Arab world. The award continues to strengthen cultural activity and support translation, authorship, and creativity; it honours creative minds who build bridges between cultures, embodying the UAE’s vision of tolerance, enlightenment, and peace.

Story by WAM