Doha: The Arab Book Award has opened nominations for its fourth edition, accepting submissions until May 28 via the award’s official website.
Launched by the State of Qatar in March 2023, the Arab Book Award recognises authors, publishers, and institutions contributing to the advancement of Arabic literature.
According to a statement by the award, the call for entries for the fourth edition follows the celebration of the third edition winners, held under the auspices of the Qatar National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science. The move reflects the award’s commitment to institutional continuity rather than a seasonal approach, in line with its growing presence across the Arab world.
Media advisor for the Arab Book Award, Dr. Hanan Al Fayyad, outlined the categories for the fourth edition. In linguistic and literary studies, the focus this year is on Arabic grammar, morphology, and critical studies in narrative and theatre. In social and philosophical studies, the edition specialises in Islamic Arab philosophy and psychology.
Historical research submissions will be limited to studies on the history of the Arab and Islamic worlds from the 12th Hijri century to the present. Religious studies will cover Quranic sciences and principles of interpretation, while lexicography, encyclopedias, and textual verification will focus on works related to Islamic creed, jurisprudence, and philosophy. Dr. Al Fayyad emphasised that the primary criterion for acceptance is scholarly contribution and quality of research, noting that submissions outside these defined fields will not be considered.
The award includes a category for single books, open to Arabic-language works published in the past four years with a minimum of 30,000 words, adhering to scholarly standards, and authored by a living writer. Joint authorship is allowed, provided the work is not derived from conferences or collective seminars, and all co-authors approve.
Second or subsequent editions must meet the award’s timing requirements, and submissions must be completed through the award’s website.
A lifetime achievement category is also available, open to individuals or institutions with original and innovative contributions in Arabic scholarship that enrich human knowledge, while complying with intellectual property laws. Applications for this category must also be completed online following the detailed guidelines on the award’s website.
Dr. Al Fayyad explained that each edition’s focus on specific fields reflects a systematic approach to covering diverse areas of Arabic knowledge, encouraging research in underrepresented topics, and raising standards in scholarly writing and textual verification.
She stressed that the Arab Book Award is not merely seasonal but a comprehensive cultural project guided by a strategic plan that includes academic seminars, participation in local and international book fairs, and support for serious authors, publishers, and institutions.
Researchers, writers, and publishers are encouraged to submit entries for the fourth edition and contribute the Arab intellectual landscape.
