(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Pen-pushing enthusiasts have been given more time to submit their entries for the Dh1 million Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature. The deadline for submissions has been pushed to September 15 due to the "difficult circumstances" in a number of Arab countries.
The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) organisers of the award extended the deadline for its seventh edition in recognition of the problems faced by publishers which require more time for printing delivery and shipping procedures. Marwa Al Aqroubi president of the UAEBBY executive board explained that many Arab publishing houses were unable to submit their applications on time as a result of delayed services due to the difficult circumstances in their countries. Since the award was launched in 2009 the vision of Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi Founder and Patron of UAEBBY has been to provide a platform for publishers writers and illustrators to develop the creative and cognitive abilities of Arab children by offering them access to good and meaningful books. Over the past few years Al Aqroubi said the UAEBBY has managed to achieve impressive results "as evidenced by the high quality of entries received". "But we still aspire to see even greater titles especially as Arab children are in need of good educational and intelligent content that helps guide them and develop good ideas about their future amid the mounting crises in the region." The winners of the award will be announced during the opening ceremony of the 34th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on November 4. Al Aqroubi urged those interested in submitting their applications to visit www.etisalataward.ae. Categories The Dh1 million award will be distributed over several categories with the highest award of Dh300000 for the 'Children's Book of the Year'. The second highest award of Dh200000 is for the 'Young Adult Book of the Year'; and there are three awards of Dh100000 each for the 'Best Text' 'Best Illustration' and 'Best Production' categories.The remaining Dh200000 is for workshops on writing illustration and production aimed at inspiring the next generation of young Arab talent in the children's book industry. Winners of the award's sixth edition included 'Naughty Kitty' published by Jordan's Dar Al Yasmine; written by Abeer Ibrahim Taher; and illustrated by Maya Fidawi which won the Children's Book of the Year Award (age group 0-12 years). 'Extraordinary Journeys to Unknown Places' written by Sonia Nimr illustrated by Lubna Taha and published by Palestine-based Tamer Institute won the Young Adult Book of the Year (age group 13-18 years).
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.