The winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award could see their titles translated into English, French and German.
A deal signed with the prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair will encourage publishing houses to translate more of the winning works.
Further details were not immediately available but the agreement was signed between the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi and the New York branch of the fair. It was announced on Sunday and will also see the promotion of winning titles among international publishing houses.
An office for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award will also be established at Frankfurt Book Fair, raising awareness of Abu Dhabi’s cultural initiatives and promoting the award at a global level.
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“This partnership is aimed at encouraging translations from Arabic into other languages and spreading Arab culture in the West, thus strengthening the position of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award among international awards as an incubator of Arab culture and promoter of dialogue among civilizations,” Saif Ghobash, Director General of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said on Sunday.
“There is no more active partner than the Frankfurt Book Fair, with a history going back five centuries. Therefore, I am honoured to launch this initiative today, in the hope and expectation that it will achieve its goals and open up new levels of excellence in the Sheikh Zayed Book Award," said Mr Ghobash.
Juergen Boos, president of the Frankfurt Book Fair, said the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has become an international cultural platform operating at the same level as other major literary awards.
“This helps raise awareness internationally regarding the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, in addition to promoting the award’s work and winners at the cultural and literary international events, such as the Frankfurt Book Fair. We are very happy to enter into this partnership.”
2018 is the Year of Zayed and the award is now in its 12th year. The awards presented are worth Dh7 million annually and a short list for this year's prize will be announced in the forthcoming weeks.
