Winners of the twentieth edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) are announced 

The winners include the English translation of a medieval cookbook from Muslim Spain by Nawal Nasrallah, which gives new insights into culinary life during the era of Al-Andalus. The book also includes contemporary adaptations of original recipes, which the translator shares on her blog The Andalusi Kitchen. 

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), dedicated to Arabic literature and culture, has announced the winners of its twentieth edition in eight categories, including Cultural Personage of the Year. This time around, the organization received over 4,000 submissions from 74 countries, including 21 Arab countries and 53 from other parts of the world, with Chile, Iceland and Luxembourg taking part for the first time ever. At this edition, the list of winners includes two international authors.

In the category of Literature, Ashraf Elashmawy, was given acknowledgment for Births in the Zoo, a satire on Egyptian society viewed from the vantage point of the Giza Zoo. By focusing on the small, everyday details that shape life at the zoo, Elashmawy reveals a portrait of contemporary Egyptian life across different social classes and cultural environments. 

As for German scholar, Arabist and translator Stefan Weidner, he was awarded in the category of Arabic Culture in Other Languages for Der arabische Diwan: Die schönsten Gedichte aus vorislamischer Zeit (The Arabic Diwan: The most beautiful poems from the pre-Islamic era), a full, accessible study of pre-Islamic poetry.  

Iraqi-American translator Nawal Nasrallah was recognized in the Translation category for her English translation of the thirteenth-century cookbook Anwāʿ al-Ṣaydala fī Alwān al-Aṭʿima, titled Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits, which provides new insights into the culinary life of Al-Andalus. 

This year’s Cultural Personage of the Year is Egyptian singer and performer Nagat al Sagheera, acknowledged for her status as one of the most distinguished voices in the Arab world, becoming the second woman to receive this honor in the award’s twenty-year history.

The winner in the Publication and Technology category, the Emirates Literature Foundation was honored for its dedication to fostering a vibrant literary culture and for building meaningful bridges between writers and diverse audiences.

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