On Sunday, on the first day of this year's Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) chairperson Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi and CEO Ahmed Al Ameri announced the winners of the 3rd Sharjah Rights Connection Awards. The program aims to celebrate exceptional efforts in supporting and developing the publishing rights and translation sector.

The “professionals working within publishing houses buying and selling translation rights” category was won by Kalem Agency of Istanbul, Turkey, and accepted by Nermin Mollaoğlu, founder of the agency. The category honoring “independent professionals or those employed by agencies involved in buying and selling these rights” went to Ahmed Bedeir, general manager at Dar El Shorouk in Egypt.

After a touching acknowledgement, a Special Appreciation Award was awarded to Bassam Chebaro, founder of Arab Scientific Publishers, who passed away in August. An Appreciation Award was also given to Bill Kennedy, founder and director of Avicenna Partnership Ltd. The appreciation awards were offered, per SBA, in recognition of Chebaro and Kennedy’s efforts in promoting the publishing industry and knowledge exchange.

Support for rights and translations

Since 2011, SBA has been offering grant support for publishers looking to acquire rights while at SIBF. The grant program intends to facilitate cross-cultural exchange and offers various levels of funding support to Arab and foreign publishers for the translation of literary works into various languages.

The support is generous, with as much as $4,000 available for general titles and $1,500 for children’s books. Overall, the fund supports up to $300,000 of grants each year, and over 500 books in all have been supported by grants.

Since the program’s inception, hundreds of different publishers and professional organizations have been awarded grants. These include a variety of well-known publishers from the Middle East such as Lebanon’s Arab Scientific Publishers and the American University of Cairo Press, plus others from further afield such as Mexico’s Textofilia Ediciones and Book Art Nepal.

Benas Bėrantas, owner of the Book Smugglers Agency from Lithuania, has found the program extremely supportive. “The Sharjah Publishers Conference has proven to be my gateway to the Arabic world throughout the years, leading to the sale of translation rights for over 10 titles,” he said. “It has also allowed me to connect with publishers I wouldn’t have met otherwise, as some don’t attend other international book fairs. This unique opportunity has enabled me to do deals with countries as far away as Argentina and Mongolia, as well as those in Europe.”

Honoring Emirati and International Talent

To motivate Emirati writers, SIBF will again this year be announcing four awards for local authors, each of which offers AED 50,000 ($13,000) to the winner. These awards are designed to “encourage local literary talents, authors, researchers and publishers to continue enriching the U.A.E. library with exceptional and valuable work.”

The first of these, Best Emirati Book for First-Time Authors, honors an outstanding debut novel that “demonstrates literary prowess and creative ingenuity.” Last year’s winner was Mazofa Samma by Mona Abdulqadir Al-Ali, published by Dar Thaqafa.

Last year’s winners for the other three awards were:

  • Best Emirati Novel Award: Happened in Sebeya by Dr. Suad Al-Araimi, published by Dar Al Saqi
  • Best Emirati Creative Literature Book: Al-Ghaseq, a poetry collection by Najat Al-Zaheri, published by Manshurat Ghaf Book Trading
  • Best Emirati Academic Book: Woman in Emirati Folklore: A Cultural Reading of Popular Discourse by Dr. Aisha Ahmed Al Ghais, published by Al Thabi Publishing and Distribution.

SIBF will also be presenting awards in a variety of other categories, including:

  • Sharjah Award for the Best Arabic Novel. The AED 150,000 ($40,000) award recognizes original works that present fresh themes, styles, and creative perspectives in their portrayal of the sociocultural realities of the Arab world. In 2023 this was won by Bab Al-Wadi, written by Ahmed Tayyebawi and published by Dar El Shorouk.
  • Sharjah Award for the Best International Book. Divided into two subcategories of fiction and non-fiction, each valued at AED 50,000 ($13,000), this award honors the most outstanding literary works of the year in English. Last year’s winners were An Andalus Adventure by Saiyada Jalali, published by Black Stone House, in the fiction category, and Unbounded: A Memoir by Huda Al-Ghusn, published by Media Publishing, in the non-fiction category.
  • Sharjah Publisher Recognition Award. This award recognizes contributions to advancing the global industry and is worth AED 75,000 ($19,500), which is split equally amongst the winners of the following sub-categories: Best Local Publisher, Best Arab Publisher and Best International Publisher. Last year Emirati publishing house Dar Malamih was Best Local Publisher, while Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah from Egypt was named as the Best Arab Publisher, and OM Books International from India took the prize as Best International Publisher.

A final prize, the Cultural Personality of the Year Award, is given to a person or organization active in the field of culture. The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year Award is selected in accordance with the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Sharjah, and announced annually prior to SIBF.