The Sheikh Zayed Book Award hosted a reception yesterday in the pavilion of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi at Frankfurt Book Fair.

The event was attended by directors of international exhibitions, representatives of international and Arab publishing houses, the award’s jury, members of its Scientific Committee, award candidates, writers, translators and media professionals.

"It is a privilege to be a member of the Scientific Committee of an award named after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE, as he worked tirelessly to better the lives of people living in the UAE," said Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair and member of the Scientific Committee. "The award aims to spread awareness by activating translations from Arabic into other languages and vice versa, which are efforts made in a determined and amazing manner. Next February, a meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi for the members of the Scientific Committee and the award team to exchange ideas and collaborate to support Arab literature and thought, and bring people together to accomplish higher levels of understanding."

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which was established in 2006, is internationally recognised as an independent award and is presented annually to creative thinkers, publishers and young authors in recognition of their contributions to the fields of authorship and translation in humanities.

The 'Arabic Culture in Other Languages' award is one of the distinctive categories which honours intellectual efforts in understanding Arabic culture. The awards have a total prize value of AED7 million, and are awarded at a ceremony held every year in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.