The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development announced the launch of "The Reader Award" under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, for its employees, to highlight the UAE’s month of reading.

According to the rules of the competition, the employees who read the most number of books from the ministry’s smart library will be calculated starting from the first of March until the end of the year. Each month, five employees who read the most books will be honoured as motivation for employees to read more.

Afra Al Sabri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, said "The Reader Award" was an internal initiative implemented for the month of reading. She added that the ministry took advantage of the existing smart E-Library, launched at the end of 2016, with more than 130,000 electronic books, 112,000 journals and 400,000 books in both the Arabic and English, available at the press of a button.

Al Sabri noted that the "The Reader Award" wasn’t the only initiative launched by the ministry in March. "Reading is Our Future," another competition, will occur weekly with questions asked on the ministry's website and prizes for the winners. Initiatives and public programs put forward by the ministry this month exceed 160, available to all segments of society.

The ministry also launched "Preparing Young Authors," a project aimed at discovering and supporting young talent in literary fields, particularly short story, poetry and narrative writing. The project includes programs and awards, such as the "Short Story Award" and the "Young Writer Initiative."

"The Youth Literature Program" will include regular meetings at cultural centres with writers and intellectuals discussing their experiences, in addition to seminars and workshops.

The Under-Secretary noted that the launch of "Preparing Young Authors" represents an integrated program with many activities and competitions that fall within the ministry’s efforts to support talent and creativity. She further stressed that the ministry was focussing on UAE youth during the month of reading, the main target of all its activities.

Al Sabri explained that all internal and public initiatives receive support and follow-ups from Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, who ensures that the ministry plays a leading role in spreading culture and knowledge as well as strengthening the community.