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Scientific Committee and Secretary General for Sheikh Zayed Book Award Appointed

Committee joins renowned figures in Culture and Academia, headed by Dr. Ali Bin Tamim of UAE

Abu Dhabi, November 20, 2011 – A new Scientific Committee had been appointed for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, headed by Dr. Ali Bin Tamim of UAE, who will also be the acting Secretary General of the Award. The decision came into effect following a decree issued by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), the mother entity of Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

In addition to Dr. Bin Tamim, the new Scientific Committee includes renowned figures in Culture, literature and Academia, including Dr. Ali Rashed Al Noaimi from UAE; Dr. Saeed Tawfiq from Egypt; Mr. Juergen Boos from Germany; Dr. Khalil al Sheikh from Jordan; Dr. Masoud Dhaher from Lebanon; Dr. Kadhim Jihad from Iraq; Dr. Mohammad Banees from Morocco; and Dr. Siham Al Foraih from Kuwait.

Commenting on the appointment of the new Scientific Committee, H.E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADACH, said: “Sheikh Zayed book Award has grown by leaps and bounds, impressively establishing its name as one of the most distinguished literary and cultural awards throughout the Arab Region and the rest of the world. And we are definite that the new committee together with the new secretary general will strive to achieve new heights on the international literary scene”.

The appointment of the new Committee follows assigning a new Board of Trustees for the Award last September, replacing the Higher Executive Committee which acted as the ruling entity over the past five years since the Award’s inception. The Scientific Committee will assume the responsibilities of the Award’s dissolved Advisory Council in assigning the judging panels; determining the judging process and criteria against which nominations will be evaluated; and approving the list of winners nominated by the panels to be presented to the Board of Trustees. The Committee will also present suggestions and recommendations on the Award’s categories and process as deemed fit, besides providing advice on any other matter of urgency to the Board of Trustees.

Over the past six years the Award has recognized the creative literary and cultural achievements of more than 34 entities, including HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi; Novelist Wacini Laredj; Prof. Pedro Martinez Montabeth; Novelist Ibrahim al-Kouni; Orientalist Xhong Jikun and many more.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award had concluded the nominations phase for its sixth session of 2011/2012 Last October, collecting a total of 560 nominations received across its nine categories. The nominations poured in from 26 countries with impressive variety, including the Arab World, Europe, North America and Africa. Arab Nationals, representing 18 Arab countries, including UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Qatar and Oman. Egypt scored highest as last year with 187 nominations, followed by Syria and Jordan with 43 and 42 nominations respectively, while Iraq and KSA contributed equally with 41 nominations each. The Award also received nominations from UK, France, Canada, Senegal, United States, Netherlands, Sweden, and Belgium.

“Literature” led the rest of the categories with 26% of total nominations, followed closely by “Young Author” with 25%, and the “Contribution to the Development of the Nation” category which stood at 21% of total. Meanwhile, the categories of Children’s Literature, Translation and Fine Arts were less fortunate with 10%, 7% and 6% of total nominations received, respectively. The Award received varying number of nominations in the rest of its categories.

With the conclusion of the nominations phase, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s judging panels commenced its work across all categories. Each category has three judges specialized in the same field. The judges independently evaluate the nominations and submit their reports against a stringent, quantifiable scoring criterion to ensure the decision is truly reflective of their independent and expert views. The assessment results are then calculated for each category and collectively evaluated by the Scientific Committee for the Award. Consequently, the short-listed winners will be subject to the approval of the Award’s Board of Trustees, scheduled for announcement in February 2012. The Award’s Grand Ceremony, celebrating the winning achievements, will be held on March 29th next year, parallel to the inauguration of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

About the members of the Scientific Committee

Dr. Ali Bin Tamim
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim is a prominent cultural and academic figure. He completed his studies in several leading Arab and foreign universities, including Emirates University, Jordan University, Yarmouk University, Georgetown University in USA and Exeter University in UK. In his capacity as an academic and a cultural activist, he established a specialty in Emirates University specified for “Women and Culture” and established Maraya Cultrual Network, which has been the first online network to offer an electronic library dedicated to Arabic Literature. He has a special interest in Anglo-American literary critique and works on translating it to Arabic and comparing its concepts to those in Arabic Literature. He is also passionate about Contemporary Arabic poetry.

Dr. Bin Tamim participated in numerous conferences and cultural events, and has been a member of judging panels in several poetry contests. He also contributes periodically to Al Ittihad Newspaper with insightful articles concerning local literature and contemporary literary critique. Dr. Bin Tamim has several published translations of American poetry, in addition to a variety of translated publications and books on literature.

Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi
Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi is a Member of the consultant committee of Sheikh Zayed Book Award. His encircling expertise is reflected in the numerous positions he held over the past years. While currently being a member of the teaching staff of the Emirates University, Dr. Al Noaimi held the position of Dean Assistant for scientific researching affairs, Deputy Director for college affairs and Deputy Director at the Emirates University. In addition, Dr. Al Noaimi worked in the capacity of Consultant for the Minister of Education of the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Al Noaimi attended many academic and administrative courses, and participated in many scientific conferences and symposiums.

Dr. Saeed Mohammad Tawfiq
Dr. Saeed Tawfiq is the professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Aesthetics and head of Department of Philosophy in Literature Faculty in Cairo University. He is very active in implementing philosophical orientations onto Arabic literature and literary critique and has numerous publications and studies, in addition to several translations for renowned philosophers.

Dr. Masoud Daher
Dr. Masoud Daher is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Lebanese University and a seasoned university professor. He completed his studies in Social History in Sorbonne, France and since then he had held many positions in UNESCO, Georgetown University, and Tokyo’s leading educational institutes. He participated in many scientific conferences in the region and worldwide. Dr. Daher has been awarded numerous prizes and awards recognizing his works, including AbdulHamid Shoman Prize in 1983, The Arab Historian Award in 1993, Best Book Award in 2000, and the “Rising Sun” Recognition from the Emperor of Japan.

Dr. Khalil al Sheikh
Dr. Khalil Al Sheikh is the head of Arabic Language in Yarmouk University in Jordan. He received his PhD from Frederich University in Germany in 1986 in Comparative literature studies. He taught in many universities in the region and has plentiful publications in literature and culture, including more than 25 novels for children.

Mr. Kadhim Jihad Hasan
Mr. Kadhim Jihad is an Iraqi Poet, living in Paris since 1976. He is a member of the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris and is active in literary critique, comparative literature, poetry translation, and philosophy. Throughout his career to date, he translated a handful of works of several prominent poets. He also translated some of Dante’s works that were published by UNESCO. He has two poetry works collections published under his name.

Dr. Mohammad Banis
Dr. Mohammad Banis is the professor of Contemporary Arabic Poetry in Mohammad al Khamiss University in Morocco. He is well recognized by the cultural and literary scene worldwide for his genuine portrayal of the Arab identity in his works and accordingly was named by the French Poet Bernard Noel among Adonis and Mahmoud Darwish for his contributions to Arab literature. He has a number of works published, including his poetry collection “Hibat Al Faragh” (the Gift of Space) which was translated to French, Italian, and Spanish and won him several awards and prizes worldwide.

Dr. Siham Al Foraih
Dr. Siham Al Foreih is the president of National Society for Childhood in Kuwait and is the Dean of the Education College for Girls and works in the capacity of vice-president of the Arab Association for Human Rights in Cairo. She received her PhD in Arabic Literature from Cairo University in 1979 and has been working as an assistant professor of Arabic Language in Kuwait University. Throughout her career she assumed many positions ranging from education and academics to media and communication. She has a lot of articles published in literature and education and she contributes regularly to journals and newspapers.

Juergen Boos
Juergen Boos is a German publishing executive and director since April 2005, the Frankfurt Book Fair .
After graduating from high school Boos completed training as a publisher at the Herder-Verlag in Freiburg and subsequently studied at the University of Mannheim, Business Administration . After holding various management positions in the publishing industry, he joined the first April 2005 in the management of the Frankfurt Book Fair and has been there first Managing Director in May 2005 alone.

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16/11/2011

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