ABU DHABI // The sixth Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced titles nominated in the literature and fine arts categories.
The prize, worth Dh7 million, covers nine categories.
There are 148 books nominated in the literature section, including The Tea of the Bride by Maysaloon Hadi, from Iraq, and Yahya by Samiha Ali Khrais, from Jordan. The fine arts category's 31 nominees include Art and Eccentrics by Dr Shaker Abdel-Hamid, from Egypt, and the three-volume Theatrical Biographies by Lebanon's Roger Assaf.
Literature can include poetry, stories, novels, plays, literary theories, creative writing and works of criticism. Fine arts covers books about architecture, calligraphy, cinema, music, painting, plastic art, photography, sculpture and the digital arts.
The award, established in 2006, is named after Sheikh Zayed, the founding President of the UAE.
In 2010, the winner of the literature category, Algerian academic Hafnaoui Baali, was stripped of the first prize over plagiarism.
The award recently published lists for four categories - translation, development of nations, children's literature and young author.
The winners will be named next month, with the awards presented at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions on March 29.