Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, said during a press conference held by the Authority at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park yesterday, to reveal the details of the new session: “When (Sharjah International Book Fair) is mentioned, (Sharjah Great Cultural Project) is mentioned as well, and this makes us proud a lot, because in Sharjah we are reaping the fruits of the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, of more than 40 years ago, which he has been taking care of year after year until we reached this day to benefit of the results of this effort.”
He added: “The Fair started as an incubator for a few publishing houses and hundreds of visitors, and today it hosts the largest number of publishers in its history, with 2,213 publishers. The Fair became the first in the world to buy and sell copyright in 2021, and reaching this rank was never a goal for Sharjah, however, what the Fair has achieved is due to what His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah built.”
2,213 publishers from 95 countries, and 129 writers, theorists and innovators from 57 countries, will participate in the revival of 1,047 diverse cultural activities, in the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority under the slogan "A Word to the World", during the period from the second to November 13th at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
The Fair celebrates Italy as the guest of honor during its new edition, and sends to its audience and guests through a rich program that covers the axes of Italian culture through activities that address various groups and interests, and provide a comprehensive and vivid picture of the Italian scene, and its civilizational, cultural and artistic richness.
During the press conference, the Consul General of Italy in Dubai, Giuseppe Venociaro, said: "We are pleased to have chosen Italy as the guest of honor for the 41st edition of the Fair, as this confirms the depth of relations between Italy and the UAE at various levels, especially in the cultural and literary sector."
For his part, the Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, Mansour Al-Hassani, reviewed the schedule of events related to the participation of publishers in this year's fair. The most prominent foreign participations were the presence of publishing houses from India, the United Kingdom and Italy, and all participants display more than 1.5 million titles on an area of more than 18,000 square meters.
The Fair will host the “Publishers Conference” in its 12th edition, over three days, from the 30th of this month to the first of November.
As part of its continuous interest in children, the Fair this year dedicated 623 activities for youngsters, ranging from workshops, plays, and entertainment and educational performances. The Fair organizes 123 shows divided between theatrical performances, dance performances, and touring shows.
For his part, the Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, Mansour Al-Hassani, reviewed the schedule of events related to the participation of publishers in this year's exhibition. The most prominent foreign participations were the presence of publishing houses from India, the United Kingdom and Italy, and all participants display more than 1.5 million titles on an area of more than 18,000 square meters.
EIGHTH SESSION / 2021
The Arab Children's Book Publishers Forum announced the winners of the Best Children's Book Award for the eighth session / 2021. The winners as per the decision of the jury, are some of outstanding works that met the criteria of the award, namely:
First: Children’s Books Category Age Group (under 12 years old):
1. The book titled (الذي طارت منه الكلمات) (From which the words flew), the publisher: Nour Al Maarif for Publishing and Distribution / Egypt, the writer Muhannad Al-Aqous, and the illustrations by Dr. Amira Al Tababi,
Second: Books for Young People (16-12 years):
2. The book (الملكة سهيلة) (Queen Suhaila): Publisher: Nahdet Misr Publishing House, the writer Rania Hussein Amin.
Third: Best Text Category:
3. The book (أكاد أختنق) (Almost Choking): The Writer Sahar Shehadi, and the illustrations by Atif Abdullah, the publisher: Nour Al Maarif House for Publishing / Egypt.
Fourth: Best Illustration Category:
4. The book (أمل) (Amal), the painter: Haya Halaw, the writer: Amal Nasser, and the publisher: Dar Hikayat Qamar for publishing and distribution / Saudi Arabia.
On this occasion, the President of the Forum, His Excellency Mr. Nasser Asi, and the members of the Board of Directors of the Forum, extended their congratulations and praises to the winners, wishing them to keep on excelling and succeeding, along with their best wishes to all members of the Forum.
Professor Aisha Hamad Maghawour, Secretary General of the Arab Forum of Children's Book Publishers, chairman of the award committee, also expressed delight at this achievement and distinction, while noting that the Forum's award for the best children's book is meant to develop the children's book and prompt publishers to come up with the best, something that helps to engage children to have a sense of book companionship, and to build up their reading skills.
The jury of the award has wrapped up its work over the past few days to judge the competing works in the eighth session of the Arab Forum of Children's Book Publishers Award for the best children's book throughout an array of assessment criteria for this Award that is intended to aid in promoting the creative output of the publishing houses of the forum's members, and the enhancement of their contributions to the areas of Arab children's book publishing.
The General Secretariat of the Arab Forum for Children’s Book Publishers has announced the opening of nominations for the 2027 Arab Forum Annual Award for the Best Children’s Book. The nomination period will run from September 1 to November 15, 2026.
This year marks the 14th edition of the Award, which is open exclusively to member publishing houses. Each year, three books are selected across the Award’s three categories to receive the Award.
The following books won the Award in the previous edition:
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qassimi, President of International Publishers Association, invited African publishers to participate in the third session of the African Fund for Innovation in Publishing, which includes grants totaling USD 800,000, provided by “Dubai Cares” over a period of four years in cooperation with International Publishers Association, stressing that despite the challenges that Corona pandemic has imposed on the book industry, publishers have an opportunity for a fresh start.
This has been announced during the meeting of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qassimi, with a number of members of Ghana Publishers Association and a group of local publishers, as she discussed with them, during her recent visit to Ghana, opportunities to enhance the future growth of the African publishing sector by taking advantage of the changes imposed by Corona pandemic at the global level.
Ghana's visit was done within a series of visits by the President of the International Publishers Association to a number of African countries, during which she would meet major institutions and companies of publishing industry in Africa, in order to promote dialogue and exchange knowledge and experiences and discuss the challenges faced by publishers. Sheikha Bodour believes that achieving these endeavors will pave the way for developing global partnerships and diversifying business models in the publishing industry.
During the meeting, Sheikha Bodour Al Qassimi shed light on the diversity of educational solutions in Africa, the opportunities provided by virtual education, the tendency of millions of African students to online education, in addition to the great opportunity for African publishers to have a new beginning. During the visit, the President of the International Publishers Association met the members of African Publishers Network and invited the most prominent stakeholders and concerned entities in the publishing industry to cooperate with the International Publishers Association and explore the existing opportunities.
