Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre said: ‘We believe that art and culture are an integral part of our lives and this is why we are proud to be one of the founding partners of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. The much anticipated annual event is one of Dubai’s most diverse festivals, offering a rich programme of events that feature critically acclaimed authors who help us explore fresh ideas, learn something new, and most importantly – they inspire us. This year, we are confident that the Festival will continue to offer audiences even more opportunities for education, engagement and entertainment, which have become ever so important to Dubai’s cultural landscape.’

The International Publishing Conference, held from 5-6 March in partnership with The Executive Council of Dubai, will bring together renowned speakers from the UAE, MENA and across the world to look into the heart of what good publishing means, from starting up a business to managing runaway bestsellers and discussions on online successes transforming into offline hits. In addition to the main speaker and panel sessions there will be masterclasses on key skills necessary in today’s world of books.

Emirates Literature Foundation Media Awards

The Festival and the Foundation have benefited greatly from the enthusiasm of the media in the Gulf region. In recognition of their continued support, the Foundation will be instituting a Media Award open to all journalists and editors of online and print publications covering the Festival.

• Competition coverage dates: 19 October 2016 – 15 April 2017
• Best Feature in an Arabic and an English publication
• Awarded to One Arabic publication and One English publication
• Panel of judges will include international and regional industry experts
• Winners receive a long weekend trip for two to New York or London with accommodation from the InterContinental Hotel
• The Awards will be presented at a gala ceremony in April 2017

Dubai Translation Conference

The Foundation will also host the three-day Dubai Translation Conference, in partnership with The Executive Council of Dubai, from 20-22 October, featuring renowned authors and industry experts Ahlam Mosteghanemi, Ahdaf Soueif and Muhsin al-Musawi.

Foundation Friends

The Emirates Literature Foundation is happy to announce a new loyalty programme.

Categories of the membership are Individual, Couples and Family. From as little as AED 100 for annual membership, the programme provides cardholders with a number of perks including early-bird tickets to Foundation and Festival events, exclusive discounts on Foundation and Festival tickets as well as special discounts at select retail outlets around the UAE.