The Award selected six literary figures, intellectuals and translators, along with Egypt’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina, for the top honours for this year's edition.

This year’s award received more than 3,000 applications submitted from more than 55 countries, including 20 Arab nations, according to the SZBA. 

Egypt’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina won this year’s Publishing & Technology Award, while Emirati author Maisoon Saqer, won the literature award form her book Maq’ha Riche, Ain Ala Massr (Eye on Egypt: Café Riche), among other winner of this year’s edition.

The winners of the 16th Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s will be honoured in an award ceremony at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in May 2022.

The Cultural Personality of the Year winner will be presented with a gold medal and a certificate of merit, as well as an AED 1 million prize.

Winners of other categories will each receive a gold medal, a certificate of merit, and a prize of AED 750,000.

Here is a full list of the winners of the SZBA 16th edition:

Literature Award

In the Literature category, the award went to Emirati author and poet Maisoon Saqer for her book Maq’ha Riche, Ain Ala Massr (Eye on Egypt: Café Riche), published by Nahdet Misr Publishing in 2021.

Children’s Literature

Award Syrian writer Maria Daadoush won in the Children’s Literature category for her story Loghz al Kora al Zujajiya (The Mystery of the Glass Ball), published by Dar Al-Saqi in 2021. 

Young Author Award

Dr. Mohamed Al-Maztouri from Tunisia won in the Young Author category with his book Al Badawa fi al She’er al Arabi al Qadeem (Bedouinism in Ancient Arabic Poetry), issued by the Faculty of Literature, Arts and Humanities at Manouba University and the GLD Foundation (Al-Atrash Complex for Specialised Books) in 2021.

Translation Award

The Translation category saw Dr. Ahmed Aladawi from Egypt win the award for his work translating from English into Arabic Nash’at al Insaniyat Einda al Muslimeen wa fi al Gharb al Maseehi (The Rise of Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West) authored by George Makdisi, which was published by Madarat for Research and Publishing in 2021. 

Art & Literary Criticism Award

Moroccan author Mohamed Aldahi’s book Al Sarid wa Taw’am al Rooh: Min al Tamtheel ila al Istinaa (The Narrator and the Soulmate: From Acting to Faking) – issued by Le Centre Culturel du Livre in 2021 – won in the Art & Literary Criticism category.

The Arab Culture in Other Languages Award

The Arab Culture in Other Languages category saw Dr. Muhsin J. Al-Musawi from Iraq/USA win for his book The Arabian Nights in Contemporary World Cultures: Global Commodification, Translation, and the Culture Industry, issued by Cambridge University Press in 2021.

Publishing & Technology Award

The award for the Publishing & Technology category went to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt. Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi and Member of the SZBA Board of Trustees, said: “Since its establishment in 2006, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has grown to become one of the most prominent and prestigious literary and cultural awards in the region and the world.

With the award’s 16th edition, we celebrate a diverse array of creators in various fields whose works have contributed greatly to the Arabic literary canon. I congratulate this year's winners, whose brilliant work will contribute to sharing Arab culture with new audiences around the globe.”

Chairman of the ALC and Secretary-General of the SZBA, Ali bin Tamim, said: “With each edition, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award further advances the cultural ecosystem in the Arab world, highlighting brilliant works of intellectual, linguistic, and creative diversity. One of our main aims is to support creators, and it is our hope that this platform will serve to introduce these authors to wider audiences, not only in the region but around the globe.”