The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is one of the world’s leading awards dedicated to Arabic literature and culture. As the Award marks its landmark 20th year, it continues to expand the international reach of Arabic literature through initiatives such as its Translation Grant. The grant supports publishers worldwide in bringing Arabic literature to new audiences, increasing the number of Arabic books translated, published, and distributed internationally.

Open to international publishers, the Translation Grant provides funding of up to US $19,000 per title towards the translation, publication, and distribution of literary works and children’s literature that have won or been shortlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

Since its launch in 2018, the Translation Grant has brought global recognition to 54 remarkable literary works making Arabic literature more accessible to international readers. Through this initiative, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award continues to build on its 20-year commitment to recognising outstanding literary contributions to Arab culture. The grant supports the translation and international circulation of Arabic literature, ensuring that contemporary and classical works reach readers, scholars, and institutions across an array of linguistic and cultural contexts.

Winning and shortlisted titles from the 20th edition eligible for translation include:

Literature shortlist

  • Births in the Zoo by Ashraf Elashmawy – A satirical allegory of contemporary Egypt which portrays the Giza zoo as a microcosm of Egyptian society. Elashmawy is an Egyptian author and former judge, whose previous novel, Toya, was nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. His previous works have been translated into multiple languages including English, French, German, Japanese, and Italian.
  • Fourrure by Nizar Abdulsattar – A powerful novel tracing the legacy of a young man’s mother from the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Baghdad to Egypt, Lebanon, and London. Abdulsattar is an award-winning Iraqi novelist and journalist. He was previously shortlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2019 for his novel, The Sequin Embroidery.

Secret of the Al Za‘farana by Badriah Albeshr – A rich depiction of womenʼs lives in past and present Arab societies, portraying three generations of Bedouin women to create a tapestry of womenʼs lives. Albeshr is an award-winning journalist and author whose novels and short story collections have been translated into English, German, French, and Italian. Her novel Romances of Al-Asha Street was nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and has been adapted for television.

Young Author shortlist

  • My Undying Butterfly by Dr Alaa Alqatrawi – A poetry collection dealing with the loss of the author’s four sons. Alqatrawi is known as one of the foremost contemporary Palestinian poets.

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/translationgrant.