FAQ

How does this prize differ from others for Arabic literature?
There is a great range and diversity of contemporary Arabic novels. These deserve a wider audience in the Arab world and beyond . The prize gives more support to writers and publishers of these Arabic novels. The Prize aims to meet a perceived need to encourage more reading and writing of good contemporary literature in the Arab world and, above all, to see more Arabic fiction translated and published in other leading international languages. This prize is increasing this global readership of Arabic literature through the publication and widespread 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 el Moalem, and a leading British publishing figure talked of the regrettably low amount of high quality contemporary Arabic fiction being translated into leading Western languages. The suggestion was made that a ‘Booker’-style prize (based on the highly successful Man Booker Prize) would be a good way to encourage recognition of high quality Arabic fiction and to ensure increased translation of such literature into world languages.

With the advice of the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funding from the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi, a steering committee of Arab literary experts, publishers and journalists was first established to advise on the set-up and structure of the prize.

Who is funding it?
The Emirates Foundation, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

How much prize money do the winner and shortlisted authors receive?
The six shortlisted authors will receive $10,000 US Dollars 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.  They are drawn 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. For a list of current Trustees click here.

The current Administrator, Fleur Montanaro, completed an Arabic BA at SOAS and a Diploma in Public Service Interpreting. She has worked for various charities in the UK and internationally in addition to freelance work as an interpreter and translator.

The Administrator reports to the Board of Trustees. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is elected by the Trustees. The Board of Trustees appoints each year's judges. The Judges are responsible for deciding which novels will be longlisted and shortlisted, and which will be the overall winner.

How was the Board of Trustees selected?
The Board of Trustees was originally 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. Now, it is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to recruit its new members when vacancies arise.

A full list of Trustees can be found here.

Who are the judges and how are they selected?
Judges remain anonymous until the shortlisted candidates are announced. This is in order to ensure the independence and integrity of the selection process.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for appointing the Judges (including a Chairman). Each year’s judging panel will include a mix as to age and gender and is drawn primarily from across the Arab world. But it is intended that each year one of the Judges will be an international specialist who speaks fluent Arabic, but who is not an Arab.

Publishers may not 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 may all be considered 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 in the form of a novel.

How does one submit a work for the prize?
Up to three novels published in the previous year may be submitted by publishers. The procedures and timelines for submission of published works are issued every year to publishers and released to the press.  Those which are applicable to the current year are can be found here.

How will the Prize ensure that the voice of new writers and marginalised groups is heard?
The Board of Trustees is committed to ensuring that each year’s panel of judges includes women and those 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.

In addition to the annual Prize, IPAF supports an annual nadwa (writers’ workshop) for emerging writers from across the Arab world. The inaugural nadwa took place in November 2009 and included eight writers, who had been recommended by IPAF Judges as writers of exceptional promise. The result was eight new pieces of fiction which have been published in English and Arabic by Dar Al Saqi Books in Emerging Arab Voices: Nadwa1, which was launched at Sharjah International Book Fair on 27 October 2010 and in the UK in January 2011. Two further workshops have taken place in Abu Dhabi, in October 2010 and October 2012.  All three nadwas were run under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, UAE.