The award is organised by the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and sponsored by Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat Group). 

The event will be held at the opening ceremony of the 35th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which runs from November 2-12, 2016 at Expo Centre Sharjah. The shortlisted books were announced at the recently concluded Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. 

"Over the past seven years, through the Etisalat award for Arabic Children's Literature, the UAEBBY has supported children's book creators who have produced the most important and best quality children's works. Their titles have been able to attract youngsters to reading and have increased their love for Arabic books," said Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY Executive Board. 

"We were keen to announce the winners of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature at SIBF, as it reflects the UAEBBY's participation at all exhibitions, book fairs and cultural activities. It aligns with our vision to promote a culture of reading and bring children and books together. It also provides promising and professional authors, illustrators and publishers with the opportunity to communicate, share experiences and meet with local and international cultural and intellectual entities," she added. 

The Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature jury approved the books which have been nominated in the award's five categories. 

The amounts of money to be received by winners of the Etisalat Award include the Children's Book of the Year, worth AED 300,000, to be distributed equally among the publisher, author and illustrators; the Young Adult Book of the Year winner is to receive AED 200,000, to be distributed between the author and publisher; the Best Text, Best Illustration and Best Production categories receive AED 100,000 each. 

In addition, AED 200,000 from the award is dedicated to organising a series of workshops to build Arab youth capacities in writing and illustration, with the aim of identifying and honing the skills of a new generation in the field of children's literature.