Entry for 2014 SIBF Awards open till 1st of October

SHARJAH- The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) has announced that the application deadline for participation in the 2014 SIBF Awards has been extended to the 1^st of October 2014.

The SIBF awards cover five main categories and aim to honour and recognise creative writers and outstanding publishers whose books and publications contribute to enriching the local, Arab, and global library.

The SIBF Awards include the Sharjah Award for the best Emirati Book in four categories, including the Best Emirati Book by an Emirati Creative Writer, the Best Emirati Academic Book, the Best Emirati Foreign Translated Book, and the Best Emirati Book about the UAE.

The awards also include the Sharjah Award for the Best Arabic Novel, and the Sharjah Award for the Best International Book, which has three categories: the Best international Fiction Book, the Best International Non-Fiction Book, and the Best International Children’s Book.

The awards furthermore include the Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award, with three categories namely the Best local publisher, the Best Arab publisher and the Best international publisher.

All the details and entry applications are available on the SIBF website www.sharjahbookfair.com. Entrants can continue to submit their applications until 1^st of October by mail to the following address:

Department of Culture & Information -Government of Sharjah -SIBF Awards-P O Box: 5119, Sharjah. Entrants can also submit their entry applications online via awards@sharjahbookfair.com.

Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, SIBF Director, said, “The SIBF Awards, which are organised annually in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, have become a major fixture on the regional and international publishing calendar and we are therefore pleased to inform publishers and authors from around the world that an extension of the application deadline has been granted. We aim through the SIBF Awards to honour creative local, Arab and international writers who enrich readers with their outstanding publications as well as to recognise publishing houses that are committed to protecting intellectual property rights and copyright and who adhered to professional publishing standards.”

Al Ameri noted that the decision to extend the deadline had been taken to give as many participants as possible the opportunity to enter. He went on to clarify that all writers and publishers from across the globe are invited to participate in the SIBF Awards’ four main categories, while the SIBF Management selects the winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year Award from among cultural figures who have contributed to enriching and developing cultural life.

The SIBF Director went on to say that the Sharjah Award for the Best Emirati Book enjoys special importance within SIBF due to its focus on encouraging Emirati writers and publishers to meet the requirements for the advancement of the scientific status and knowledge of the country, as well as its focus on stimulating creative local writers to continue their creative communication. The award also aims to promote the publishing of local studies on the country and its diverse issues in the fields of literature, arts, environment, and science.

The winners will be announced and honoured during the first days of the 33rd edition of SIBF, which will take place from the 5^th to the 15^th of November at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The list of winners of the 2013 SIBF Awards included Farouk Abdul Aziz Hosni (Egypt) who was named the Cultural Personality of the Year, while the National Books Publishing House won the Best Local Publisher Award.

The winners also included Beirut-based Centre for Arab Unity Studies, who won the Best Arab Publisher Award, and Indian publisher DC Books, who won the Best Foreign Publishing House Award.

‘An Exceptional Woman’ by Ali Abu AlReesh received the award for best Emirati Book, while the award for the best Emirati academic book was given to ‘Dramatic Masks at the Sultan Al Qasimi Theatre’ by Maitha Majid Mohammed Al Shamsi.

The book ‘Zayed: Man who Built a Nation’, released by the National Centre for Documents and Research, won the award for best book in translation, while ‘Making Traditional Swords and Daggers in the Emirates’ by Halima Abdallah Rashid Al Sayegh won the award for best Emirati book about the UAE. ‘6000 Miles’ by Mohamed Muhib Jabr won the award for best Arabic novel, while ‘Vauxhall’ by Gabriel Gbadamosi was declared the best international novel.

 ‘Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor – The Autobiography’ by Khalaf Al Habtoor won the Best International Book on Business and Economics, while ‘When I Feel Worried’ by Cornelia Maude Spelman won the Best Foreign Book in Children’s Literature.