This award is meant to promote books targeting readers in a very critical stage of their personal development. This is even more important when it comes to blind and partially sighted children. To fulfill its vision and mission, the Sharjah International Book Fair has launched this new award to encourage excellence in the production of books for visually impaired children and to be fully active in evaluating, publishing and internationally marketing of the winning books.

Selection Criteria

Accepted concepts must meet the following requirements:

• Tactile pictures that use different styles enabling three dimensional images.
• Images must be accurately glued and fixed.
• Text must be printed in clear, large and differentiated fonts as well as those printed in Braille characters.
• The book can be fully opened easily and tactile reading is easy with no interruptions.
• Different and clear colors are used to stimulate the sight of partially sighted children.
• Literary valuable text with no typing, grammar or writing mistakes.

Click here to view the award conditions and application form

Click here to submit application form.

Conditions

• The award shall be given to books targeting visually impaired children.
• Books can be new and original creations or special editions developed from other existing books and licensed by their original publishers.
• Nominated book must be completed and ready for production.
• Nominated book must be new and unique in its field.
• The first edition of the nominated book must have been published in the past 2 years prior to the current SCRF.
• Nominated book should not be a revised edition.
• Nominated writer must not have won a prize for the applied category in the past two years.
• Sharjah Book Authority Management shall not return submitted copies to nominees.
• Nominated book must not have won a literary award before.
• Translated books or those developed from other books are not accepted.
• Applicants must specify to which categories books are nominated.
• SIBF organizers shall have the right to use covers of and excerpts from awarded books in all types of SIBF marketing communications without taking the approval from the publisher or writer.
• The candidates have no right to contest any of the jury decisions.
• The awards shall be launched prior to SCRF each year.
• Nominations will be closed on 5th March each year.
• Winners shall be announced in a special awards ceremony.

Requirements

• Filled nomination form.
• Three copies of the nominated book (nonreturnable).
• Brief of the publisher as well as curricula vitae of the writer and illustrator.

Value

The prize money of the award is AED 20,000.