Arabic Children's Literature Award Expands Global Reach And Inspires Arab Young Readers

The International Award for Arabic Children’s Literature Award has become a key force in Arab publishing, shaping how children across the region encounter books and stories. Over more than a decade, it has encouraged hundreds of new titles, boosted careers for writers and illustrators, and helped Arabic-language works appear at major global book fairs.

Since its launch in 2009, the award has grown from a modest regional initiative into a broad cultural platform. Entries rose from 47 submissions from eight Arab countries in the first cycle to more than 300 works every year, now arriving from over 20 countries across and beyond the Arab world.

The award is closely linked to Sharjah’s wider cultural plans, under the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. H.H. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority, leads efforts that place reading and publishing at the heart of long-term cultural development.

Sharjah’s cultural institutions see this Arabic children’s literature award as part of a deeper investment in young readers. The award does more than celebrate individual books; it supports authors, illustrators, and publishers over time, backing projects that reshape how Arab children experience stories, pictures, and ideas during their early years.

Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), explained that the award has always aimed to create a creative space that speaks directly to Arab children. The ambition is for young readers to recognise their language, emotions, and daily lives within these stories, and to feel that books are genuinely about them.

Al Aqroubi noted that contemporary children’s literature now tackles more complex questions about life and society. Stories are expected to help young readers think about the world, find emotional balance, and consider future possibilities. She stressed Sharjah’s belief that culture begins in childhood, and that nurturing a child’s imagination is an investment in a shared future.

She stated that imagination is seen as the starting point for knowledge, awareness, creativity, and change. She added, "Each edition of the award reveals new voices and perspectives, reaffirming the power of the Arabic language to carry stories of broad human significance. The story of the award continues, always beginning with the phrase that mirrors Arab childhood memory: ‘Once upon a time.’"

Over the past ten years, the Arabic children’s literature award has honoured more than 100 authors, illustrators, and publishers. This recognition has helped produce around 400 books for children and young adults in Arabic. Since 2017, the scope expanded to include illustrators, reflecting the vital role that visual storytelling plays in stimulating children’s imagination.

The award has also supported the international reach of Arab creators. Titles that first gained attention in Sharjah later appeared at major fairs in Bologna, Frankfurt, and London. Over 40 winning works have been translated into languages such as English, French, Turkish, and Korean, bringing contemporary Arab children’s literature to new readers worldwide while strengthening the region’s presence in global publishing.

With inputs from WAM