Since 2006, the Award has recognised outstanding works by authors, translators, researchers, scholars, publishers and organisations around the world. Winning the award not only brings immense international prestige to the winners, but each laureate also receives a cash prize of AED 750,000 (204,192 USD), to both recognise their achievements and support them in their future literary and cultural contributions, reinforcing the Award’s commitment to both recognising excellence and enabling continued creative impact.

The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year receives a cash prize of AED 1,000,000 (272,257 USD), underscoring the Award’s global stature and its dedication to celebrating those who have shaped cultural thought advancement.

The new cohort of winners will have the opportunity to be part of the landmark moment in the Award’s 20th anniversary celebrations in 2026, contributing to two decades of literary and cultural legacy.

Of the ten award categories, five are open to international submissions:

  • The Translation category accepts works of any genre (fiction, poetry and non-fiction) translated either to or from Arabic, and has previously been awarded to American translator Michael Cooperson for Impostures, an anthology of translations from the Maqāmāt of al-Harīrī.
  • The Arab Culture in Other Languages category recognises works published in languages other than Arabic on aspects of Arab civilisation and culture from fields including the humanities, fine arts, literature and history. In 2025, the Award went to Andrew Peacock for a study of the influence of Islam in South East Asia, and other recent laureates have covered topics such as post-classical Islamic philosophy (Frank Griffel) the Arabian Nights (Dr. Muhsin Al Musawi) and the history and theory of Arabic Oration (Tahera Qutbuddin).
  • The Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category accepts submissions in the fields of editing of Arabic manuscripts and the production of specialised and general lexicons for Arabic texts.
  • The Publishing and Technology category is dedicated to honouring publishers, distributors, research institutions and cultural institutions whose innovative work makes an impact on the accessibility, promotion and global reach of Arab literature and culture. Previous international laureates in this category include Banipal Magazine from the UK, the Biblioteca Alexandrina in Egypt, Dutch publisher Brill and Chinese publisher Bayt Elhekma for Creative Industries.
  • The Award for Cultural Personality of the Year is open to nominations from international bodies and recognises prominent Arab or international figures and organisations who have made a profound contribution to the advancement of Arabic culture. Reflecting the Award’s international reach and cultural diplomacy, past international laureates of the Award have included renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami, Casa Árabe (Spain), the Institut du Monde Arabe (France), UNESCO and acclaimed Lebanese-French author Amin Maalouf.

The categories open to submissions written in Arabic include Young Author, Literature (including poetry, short stories, novels, biographies, playscripts, and more), Contribution to the Development of Nations, Children’s Literature(including young adult titles), and Literary and Art Criticism.

To find out more and to submit your nomination, please visit and register on the SZBA submissions portal.

https://www.zayedaward.ae/en/