In its 20th year, Abu Dhabi-based Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces longlists for the prize selected from over 4000 submissions from 74 countries.

 

By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced the longlisted works for all categories – Literature, Young Author, Children’s Literature, Editing of Arabic Manuscripts, Translation, Contribution to the Development of Nations, and Literary and Art Criticism categories for its 20^th edition spanning 2025-2026.

The award is one of the most prominent literary and intellectual awards in the Arab world, dedicated to expanding the reach of Arabic literature and culture around the world. This year’s longlist is selected from over 4,000 submissions from 74 countries with the highest number of submissions in the Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature categories.

The Literature Category

The longlist for the Literature category features 11 titles from eight countries: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, and Lebanon:

• The Tear of Granada by Ahmed Alsubait (Saudi Arabia), published by Madhamin Publishing and Distribution House
• Nightly Archery by Ahmed Zain (Yemen), published by Almutawassit Books
• Births in the Zoo by Ashraf Elashmawy (Egypt), published by Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah
• A Swiss Summer by Inaam Kachachi (Iraq/France), published by Takween Publishing
• Al Tanfa by Seddik Hadj Ahmed (Algeria), published by Fadaat for Publishing & Distribution
• Secret of the Al Za‘farana by Badriah Albeshr (Saudi Arabia), published by Dar Elshorouk
• Symphony of the Seventh Day by Jalal Barjas (Jordn), published by Dar Elshorouq
• Dukhi: Taqasim in Al Saba by Taleb Alrefai (Kuwait), published by That Al Salsil
• The End of the World by Abdelrahim Kamal (Egypt), published by Dar Alkarma Books
• The Summer of Sarofim’s Widow by Mazen Haidar (Lebanon/France), published by Hachette Antoine – Naufal
• Fourrure by Nizar Abdulsattar (Iraq), published by Hachette Antoine Naufal

The Young Author Category

Featuring 8 titles submitted from 5 countries: Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan. These books include creative works, critical studies, academic theses, and poetry:

• Scent of the Lone Tree by Ahmed Alrowaie (Saudi Arabia), published by Takween Publishing
• My Undying Butterfly by Alaa Alqatrawi (Palestine), published by Arab Institute for Research & Publishing
• Worlds of Experimentation: A Structural Approach to the Classical Saudi Theatrical Script by Dr. Jaber Mohammed Yehya Alnijadi (Saudi Arabia), published by Kunouz Al Ma’refa Publishing and Distribution
• Asil’s Summoner: From London to Jeddah by Dina Shahata (Egypt), published by Elain Publishing
• Imagining al Andalus: Narrating History Between Reality and Ideology in the Arabic and Spanish Novel by Dr. Said El Fellak (Morocco), published by Editions Difaf, Sameh Publishing, Editions El Ikhtilef, Dar Elamane
• The Companion: A Book About Books by Omar Zakaria (Jordan), published by Elharf Publications
• The Arabic Novel and Recognition in the Third Millennium by Mohammed Aaziz (Morocco), published by Kunouz Al Ma’refa Publishing and Distribution
• Plots and Characters: A Rhetorical Argumentative Approach to the Arabic Novel by Mustapha Rajouane (Morocco), published by Kunouz Al Ma’refa Publishing and Distribution

The Children’s Literature Category

Nine titles from 7 countries: Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Tunisia.

• Dark Web by Ahmed Korani (Egypt), published by Nahdet Misr Publishing
• Lulwa’s Summer by Anas Aburahma (Palestine), published by Dar Dinason
• A Tiny Problem by Bothayna Alessa (Kuwait), published by Arwa Al Arabeia for Publishing
• The Village of Darkness by Souad Sleibi (Lebanon), published by Souad Publishing House
• My Identity by Fadhil Al Kaabi (Iraq), published by Noon Books – Nahed Alshawa Cultural Foundation
• Suns of My Country by Maryam Saqer AlQasimi (UAE), published by Araam Publishing
• When Wishes Came True by Mona Kamal (Egypt/Canada), published by Dar Raheeq AlKotob
• Lord of the Amphibians by Hend Saif Albar (UAE), published by Kuttab Publishing
• My Beloved Daughter by Wiem Ghades (Tunisia), published by Diwan Publishing

The Editing of Arabic Manuscripts Category

Includes 8 titles from 5 countries: Syria, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Tunisia, featuring classical works alongside rigorous scholarly studies:

• Kitāb al-Fawz, edited by Fares Ahmad Alelawi (Syria), published by Ninawa Publishing House
• Martyrium Arethae Arabice (The Martyrdom of Arethas in Arabic), edited by Paolo La Spisa (Italy), published by Harrassowitz Verlag
• Encyclopaedia of World Religions (6 volumes) by Prof. Dr. Mohamed Elkhosht (Egypt), published by Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities
• The Dīwān of Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbī and His Anecdotes edited by Ebraheem Mohammad Hamad Albatshan (Saudi Arabia), published by King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language
• Al-Mu’nis fī Akhbār Ifrīqiyya wa-Tūnis edited by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Elbahi (Tunisia), published by Souhnoun Edition Diffusion
• Explanation of Diwan al-Mutanabbī edited by Abdulrahman bin Dakheil Rabbah Almatrafi (Saudi Arabia), published by King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language
• The Encyclopaedic Lexicon of the Terms and Tools of Civilisation in Egyptian Official Documents in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries by Prof. Dr. Essam Ahmed Essawy (Egypt), published by Arab Heritage Authentication Center – Misr University For Science and Technology
• Kitāb Ṭayf al-Khayāl edited by Prof. Dr. Amro Abdelaziz Mounir (Egypt), published by Brill

The Translation Category

Featuring 9 titles translated to and from Arabic and English, Italian, Spanish, and French:

• Contrariness in Classical Arabic Literature: Beautifying the Ugly and Uglifying the Beautiful by Abu Mansur al-Tha’alibi, translated from Arabic to English by Geert Jan Van Gelder (Netherlands), published by Brill
• A Demon Spirit: Arabic Hunting Poems by Abu Nuwas, translated from Arabic to English by James E. Montgomery (United Kingdom), published by Library of Arabic Literature/New York University Press
• Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits by Nawal Nasrallah (Iraq/USA), a translation from Arabic to English of the 13th century cookbook (Anwāʿ al-Ṣaydala fī Alwān al-Aṭʿima), published by Brill
• La dottrina dell’anima di ’Abu Sulayman al-Sigistani negli scritti di ’Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi by Abu Hayyan al Tawhidi, translated from Arabic to Italian by Sara Abram (Italy), published by Il Poligrafo Casa Editrice
• Historia de las Indias (History of the Indies) by Bartolomé de las Casas, translated from Spanish to Arabic by Dr. Chaimaa Majdy (Egypt), published by Elmasry Publishing
• Victor Hugo et l’Islam (Victor Hugo and Islam) by Louis Blin, translated from French to Arabic by Zahida Darwiche Jabbour (Lebanon), published by Arab Organization for Translation
• Traité de L’Argumentation (The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation) by Chaïm Perelman et Lucie Olbrechts-Tytetca, translated from French to Arabic by Dr. Mohamed El Ouali (Morocco), published by Dar Alkitab Aljadeed
• Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al-Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity by William C. Chittick, translated from English to Arabic by Prof. Dr. Eisa Ali Alakoub (Syria), published by Ninawa Publishing House
• Word and Object by Willard Van Orman Quine, translated from English to Arabic by Dr. Youssef Tibesse (Morocco), published by Al Rawafed Culture Publishers and Ibn al Nadim Publishing and Distribution

The Contribution to the Development of Nations Category

Six titles were selected for the Contribution to the Development of Nations category’s longlist, submitted from 4 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:

• History of Arabic Journalistic Writing: From Eloquence to Journalism to Algorithmic Writing by Dr. Sahraoui Gamaoun (Tunisia), published by Latrach Édition
• The Identities Trap by Hassane Aourid (Morocco), published by Hachette Antoine Naufal Edition and El Fadel
• Iraq’s Intelligentsia: Cultural Elites in the 20^th Century by Sayyar Al-Jamil (Iraq/Canada), published by The Academic Center for Research
• The Debate on Religion and Enlightenment: Paths for Rationalisation and Prospects of Humanisation by Salah Salem (Egypt), published by Bibliotheca Alexandrina
• On the Possibility and Limits of Communication in Light of Epistemic Principles and the Philosophy of Action by Dr. Mohamed Ghalim (Morocco), published by Dar Rakeem Publishing
• Constitution of Medina: A Marginalised Islam by Nejia Ourimi (Tunisia), published by Roueya Publishing

The Literary and Art Criticism Category

Including ten titles from 8 countries: Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. The selected works cover a range of topics from literary criticism to philosophy, theatre arts, and identity studies:

• Jurisprudence of Theatre: Issues of Thought and Performing Arts by Prof. Dr. Aboulhassan Sallam (Egypt), published by Dar Alwafaa Publishing
• News and Eyewitness Accounts: Towards a New Conception of Perspective and Point of View in the Storytelling Arts by Dr. Ahmed Gasmi (Tunisia), published by Latrach Édition
• Monument Sculpture in the Arab World: Limits of Figuration in Public Space by Benyounes Amirouche (Morocco), published by Khatout and Zilal Publishing and Distribution House
• Andalusian Identity in Poetic Texts by Khalid Abdulaziz Alkhrran (Saudi Arabia), published by Adab Publishing and Distribution
• Metaphor: A Study of Construction Issues and Mechanisms of Interpretation by Dr. Brahim Assikar (Morocco), published by Kunouz Al-Ma’refa Publishing and Distribution
• Emotions in the Sufi Experience: Between Regression and Rebellion by Dr. Asma Khoualdia (Tunisia), published by Editions Difaf, Editions El Ikhtilef, Sameh Publishing
• Shores of the Text: Epigraphs in the Arabic Novel – Types, Functions, and Operating Mechanisms by Dr. Walat Mohamad (Syria/Germany), published by Lotus Free Publishing
• Foundations of the Arabic Linguistic Theory by Ramzi Mounir Baalbaki (Lebanon), published by American University of Beirut Press
• Perceiving the World: Mutual Stereotypes Between the Self and the Other by Zuhair Tawfiq (Jordan), published by Alaan Publishers and Distributers
• The Aesthetics of Rhetorical Creativity: A Pragmatic Reading in the Speeches of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan by Dr. Aysha Juma Alshamsi (UAE), published by Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities

 

More from Publishing Perspectives on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award is here, more on the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center is here, more on Arabic literature is here, and more on translation is here. More from us on publishing and book awards in the international industry is here. 

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