Sharjah - 16 July 2011 - The evaluation committee of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature has announced that it has already received a large number of inquiries and applications from numerous Arab publishing houses since opening the competition and appointing the 2011 judges' panel.

The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), organizer of the Award, has published detailed information about the award, terms and conditions for entry, reports about the last two editions and other related details on its website. A comprehensive nomination form that includes the terms and conditions for submission, with sections on the nature of the book, information about the publisher, author, illustrator, the country in which it was published and other technical details, is also available online. Completed forms will be presented to the panel of judges during the selection process. Deadline for the submission of entries is 31 August 2011.  

Commenting on the volume of entries received to date, HE Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the UAEBBY, said: "Following on the tremendous success achieved by the Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children's Literature in 2009 and 2010, and the rising prominence of Arabic children's literature, in general, we expect this year's edition to be a truly world class event. Based on the volume of entries received and taking into account the quality of previous winners of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature, which matched the highest international standards, the Board expects some strong entries this year, all of which will help raise the level of excellence of children's literature and culture in the Arab world and around the globe."

Sheikha Bodour added: "Developing children's literature and culture is a top priority of the UAEBBY. With the support of Etisalat, who plays an active role in society and who show a great deal of social responsibility towards children, we believe that this year's Award will be a resounding success."  

In its inaugural edition, the jury of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature nominated 36 books from the 54 submitted by 20 publishers. Lebanon-based publishing house Dar Al Hadaeq was announced as the winner with its book Ana Oheb (I love). The Dhs1 million award was split between Dar Al Hadaeq, author Nabiha Mehaidi, and illustrator Nadine Sidani.

Last year's edition saw a 56% increase in entries compared to 2009. Egypt accounted for 35% of the total books nominated, followed by Jordan and Syria with 17% and 16%, respectively. UAE publishers accounted for 10% of the total entries. Egypt-based Dar El Shorouk won the second edition of the award for Al Noqta Al Sawda (The Black Dot), written and illustrated by Walid Taher.

-Ends-

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© Press Release 2011