The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has announced the participation of 235 works from 85 artists for the 11th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Book Illustration Award. The highly sought-after award winners will be revealed during the 14th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), scheduled to take place from May 3 – 14 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The announcement was made during a meeting attended by HE Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, to review the selection mechanisms, the quality of the works submitted, and their countries of origin.

The Sharjah Children’s Book Illustration Award received a total of 1,300 submissions from 280 creatives representing 46 countries worldwide. Out of these, 135 submissions came from artists representing 15 Arab countries, while 145 submissions were from 31 nations worldwide. Notably, the top participating countries were the UAE, Egypt, Syria, Iran, China, and Mexico.

The jury panel for this year’s edition of the award includes renowned Emirati artist and sculptor Abdulrahim Salem, Egyptian artist Hani Salah, American artist and author Andrea D’Aquino, Spanish artist Zuriñe Aguirre, and German artist Vitali Konstantinov.

Khoula Al Mujaini, General Coordinator of SCRF, said: “The submissions showed a great diversity in their themes, levels, and artistic schools, which indicates the wide interest in the award and the importance that books and artistic works catering to children worldwide. We hope that the submitted works advance the quality of children’s book production to the desired level that we aspire to.”

The Sharjah Children’s Book Illustration Award aims to encourage and promote the development of high-quality children’s book illustrations, which play a significant role in fostering the love of reading and creativity in young readers. The competition also provides a platform for illustrators to showcase their work and connect with publishers and other professionals in the industry.

The prize for the first-place winner is US$8,000, while the second-place receives US$6,000 and the third-place receives US$4,000.