The ‘Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature’, one of the most important and prestigious awards of its kind in the Arab world, is urging publishers of young adult literature to submit soft copies of their books before July 31, 2017.

The ‘Young Adult Book of the Year’ prize recognises work targetting 13-18 year olds and is one of the most popular categories of the Award, which is organised by the Sharjah based UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and sponsored by Etisalat Group.

In order to qualify, entries must be original and not translated and cannot have been entered into the competition before. They should also have been published no more than five years before the entry was submitted. While works of joint authorship or editorship are eligible, no submissions can have previously received any local, Arab, or international award, and they must also have been published as paper-based and bound books.

While the soft copies of the Young Adult Categories should be submitted through the Award’s website , the printed entries of all categories should be submitted before 31 August 2017, and sent to: Al Qasba Block D,1^st Floor, Office 45, Sharjah P.O. Box: 1421, United Arab Emirates

The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature features six categories: ‘Children’s Book of the Year’, worth AED 300,000, to be distributed equally between the author, illustrator and publisher; ‘Young Adult Book of the Year’, worth AED 200,000, to be distributed equally between the author and publisher, and ‘Best Text’, ‘Best Illustration’, ‘Best Production’ and ‘Digital Book of the Year’ worth AED 100,000 each. AED 300,000 will be dedicated to encouraging greater participation in children’s literature through the ‘Warsha’ programme, the Etisalat Award workshop which aims to inspire a new generation of Arabic authors and illustrators.