This initiative, designed to support the global dissemination of high-quality Arabic literature, facilitates the translation and publication of award-winning Arabic literature into any language.
The Translation Grant provides funding up to US$19,000 per title towards the translation, publication, and distribution of any literary works that have won or been shortlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. This includes titles shortlisted for the Literature and Children’s Literature categories.

Many of the authors and literary works that have been recognised by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award are often unfamiliar and underrepresented to a global readership. The Translation Grant offers international publishers a vital opportunity to introduce these remarkable works to a wider audience, increasing their visibility, impact, and accessibility while showcasing the richness and diversity of the Arab literary landscape.

Winning and shortlisted titles from the 2025 edition eligible for translation include:

Literature Shortlist

  • The Sphinx by Ahmed Mourad – A thrilling detective story which takes place during an outbreak of plague in nineteenth-century Egypt. Mourad’s fiction has been frequently adapted for both film and television including the 2014 film The Blue Elephant.
  • Travels of the City of Clay Trilogy by Saud Alsanousi – A magical realist tale telling the story of the fishing industry in Kuwait’s pre-oil era. Alsanousi’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction-winning novel The Bamboo Stalk (2012) has been translated into 14 languages, including English, Italian and Chinese.
  • Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Hoda Barakat – A novel exploring the fraught relationship between a mother and her daughter, who suffers from a rare disease that disfigures her once-beautiful features. Barakat is an internationally bestselling author, with previous work that has been published in over 10 languages.

Children’s Literature Shortlist

  • Maymouna and Her Crazy Ideas by Shireen Sabanegh – A picture book which highlights the power of self-confidence in facing challenges and contributing to your community.
  • The Phantom of Sabiba by Latifa Labsir – A novel for children which addresses autism spectrum disorder from the perspective of Hiba, the sister of an autistic boy named Raji.
  • The Digital Fox by Hegra Alswai – A Young Adult novel which tells the story of Timur, a boy obsessed with video games, and his relationship with his parents.

For comprehensive details on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Translation Grant, a full list of titles eligible for translation funding and instructions on how to apply, visit https://www.zayedaward.ae/en/translation.grant.aspx.