FAQs
 
Why another prize for Arabic literature?
 
There is a great range and diversity of Arabic literature which deserves a wider audience in the Arab world and beyond. There is always room for more support to given to writers and publishers of Arabic works of fiction. There is a perceived need to encourage more reading and writing of good literature in the Arab world – and above all to see more Arabic literature translated and published in other leading international languages. A key aim for this prize is to increase global readership of Arabic literature through the widest possible publication and distribution of contemporary Arabic fiction in translation.
 
Who is behind this Prize? Who initiated the project?
 

The idea for the Prize emerged during a meeting organised by a German scientific and educational foundation which brought together publishers from ‘East’ and ‘West’. The then President of the Association of Arab Publishers, Ibrahim Moallem, and a leading British publishing figure talked of the sadly low amount of quality Arabic fiction being translated into leading Western languages. The suggestion was made that a ‘Booker’-style prize (based on the highly successful UK Man Booker awards) would be a good way to encourage recognition of high quality Arabic fiction and to ensure increased translation of such literature into world languages.

In cooperation with the Booker Prize Foundation, the Emirates Foundation has supported this initiative from the beginning. A Steering Committee of Arab literary experts, publishers and journalists has accordingly been established to advise on the set-up of the Prize and its independent Board of Trustees.
 
Who is funding it?
 

The Emirates Foundation, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
 
How much do the winner and shortlisted authors receive by way of a Prize?
 

The six shortlisted authors will receive 10,000 USD each, and the winner will receive an additional 50,000 US Dollars.
 
What is the management structure of the Prize?
 

The Prize is managed by an independent Board of Trustees representing an international mix of writers, experts in Arabic literature and translation, and figures from publishing, media and academia.  There are 13 Trustees from across the Arab world and the UK. Trustees serve a term of three years with the possibility of being appointed for a second term by the Board.

The Administrator, Lebanese poet and journalist Joumana Haddad, is based in Beirut, the publishing “capital” of the Arab world, but she regularly travels to Abu Dhabi and London. The Administrator reports to the Board of Trustees. The chairman of the Board of Trustees is appointed on an annual basis. It is the duty of the Board of Trustees to annually appoint the six judges who will select the awardees.

 
Who is on the Board of Trustees and how were they selected?
 

In alphabetical order:
 
Marie-Thérèse 
Abdul-Messih		 Professor of English & Comparative Literature, University of Cairo, Egypt
 
Dr. Peter Clark Independent consultant and Writer, Middle East Cultural Advisory Services
 
Riad El-Rayyes Publisher, Riad El-Rayyes Books, Lebanon
 
Omar Saif Ghobash Cultural Activist, Abu Dhabi
 
Sasha Havlicek Executive Director, Trialogue Educational Trust
 
Khaled Hroub Arab writer and academic, UK
 
Farouk Mardam-Bey Cultural Advisor, Institut du Monde Arabe, France
 
Ibrahim El Moallem Publisher, ex-head of Arab Publishers' Union, Egypt
   
Zaki Nusseibeh Adviser Ministry Presidential Affairs- Vice Chairman Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage
   
Margaret Obank

Publisher and Editor, Banipal magazine of
Modern Arab Literature, UK
 
William Sieghart

Chairman & Founder, Forward Publishing,
National Poetry Day, UK
 
Evelyn Smith           Company Secretary, Booker Prize Foundation, UK
 
Yasir Suleiman Professor of Arabic, University of Cambridge, UK
 
Jonathan Taylor Chairman, Booker Prize Foundation, UK
 
The Board of Trustees was selected on the basis of the recommendations of a Steering Committee of experts, publishers and journalists from across the Arab world and beyond, which was established to advise on the intellectual and administrative frame-work of the Prize.
 
Who are the judges and how are they selected?
 

Judges remain anonymous until the short-listed candidates are announced. This is in order to ensure the independence and integrity of the selection process.

The Board of Trustees of the Prize was responsible for appointing the six judges. The judges represent a balanced gender and age mix and have been drawn primarily from across the Arab world. It is intended that each year, one of the six judges will be an international specialist who speaks fluent Arabic.

Publishers will not be eligible to serve as judges.

Writers (so long as they are not competing for the prize) as well as academics, journalists and other public figures with an interest in literature will be eligible to serve as judges.
 
Are works written in other languages and translated into Arabic eligible?
 

No. All works submitted must be written in Arabic.
 
Is poetry eligible?
 

No. The Prize is for prose fiction.

 
How does one submit a work for the prize?
 

Up to three works published in the previous year may be submitted by publishers. A memorandum explaining the precise procedures and timelines for submission of published works is issued yearly to the press and to publishers.

 
How will the Prize ensure that the voice of new writers and marginalised groups is heard?
 

There is a commitment to ensure that on the panel of judges, there are women, as well people below the age of 50. There is also a commitment to ensuring a regional spread amongst the judges. In this way, the Prize intends to ensure that the voice of young and new writers, as well as of more marginal groups, is heard.