The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature has unveiled the judging panel for the 2025 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, marking the twentieth anniversary of this prestigious award, and African Arab countries got represented!

The entries include two significant works by African authors: Granada: The Complete Trilogy by Egyptian writer Radwa Ashour, translated by Kay Heikkinen, and We Never Swim in the Same River Twice by Tunisian author Hassouna Mosbahi, translated by William Maynard Hutchins, both showcasing the depth of Arab African literary expression.

Professor Tina Phillips will chair the four-member panel, joined by Dr Susan F. Frenk, Nashwa Nasreldin, and Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL. The judging panel brings together distinguished expertise across scholarship, translation, and literary criticism. Professor Tina Phillips chairs as a scholar and translator of modern Arabic literature, while Dr Susan F. Frenk serves as Principal of St Aidan’s College, Durham University. Nashwa Nasreldin contributes her perspective as a writer, editor, and literary translator, and Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL brings his experience as a journalist, writer, and former Literary Editor at The Independent.

The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize, wholly sponsored by the Saif Ghobash family in memory of the late Saif Ghobash, awards £3,000 annually to translators of published Arabic literary works. This year introduces a new £1,000 runner-up award for the first time in the prize’s history.

This anniversary year brings an impressive selection of 17 entries by 12 different publishers, showcasing the diversity of contemporary Arabic literature in translation. The submissions comprise 13 novels, one poetry collection, one short story collection, one memoir, and one book for young readers, representing works by 16 authors and 18 translators.

Here are the 17 works listed in the 2025 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize entries:

Novels:

  1. The Guardian of Surfaces by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain (Selkies House Limited)
  2. Huddud’s House by Fadi Azzam, translated by Ghada Alatrash (Interlink Publishing)
  3. The Halva-Maker: The Trilogy of the Fatimids (Sicilian, Armenian, Kurdish) by Reem Bassiouney, translated by Roger Allen (DarArab for Publishing and Translation)
  4. Heiress of Honour by George Maalouli, translated by Yacine Mohammed Belguendouz (TASQ Publishing House)
  5. Honey Hunger by Zahran Alqasmi, translated by Marilyn Booth (Hoopoe)
  6. Sages of Darkness: A Depiction of Kurdish Life in Late Ottoman Times by Salim Barakat, translated by Aviva Butt (Peter Lang)
  7. 1970: The Last Days by Sonallah Ibrahim, translated by Eleanor Ellis (Seagull Books)
  8. A Spring That Did Not Blossom by Nejmeh Khalil Habib, translated by Samar Habib (Interlink Publishing)
  9. On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis, translated by Katharine Halls (Peirene Press)
  10. Granada: The Complete Trilogy by Radwa Ashour, translated by Kay Heikkinen (Hoopoe)
  11. Land of Sweetheart Deals by Wajdi Al-Ahdal, translated by William M. Hutchins (DarArab for Publishing and Translation)
  12. We Never Swim in the Same River Twice by Hassouna Mosbahi, translated by William Maynard Hutchins (Syracuse University Press)
  13. A Long Walk from Gaza by Asmaa Alatawna, translated by Caline Nasrallah and Michelle Hartman (Interlink Publishing)

Poetry Collection: 14. The Universe, All at Once by Salim Barakat, translated by Huda J. Fakhreddine (Seagull Books)

Short Story Collection: 15. Sand-Catcher by Omar Khalifah, translated by Barbara Romaine (Coffee House Press)

Memoir: 16. The Tale of a Wall: Reflections on Hope and Freedom by Nasser Abu Srour, translated by Luke Leafgren (Penguin Press)

Book for Young Readers: 17. Thunderbird: Book 3 by Sonia Nimr, translated by M. Lynx Qualey (Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin)

The shortlist will be announced on 1 December 2025, with the winner and runner-up revealed on 7 January 2026. The prize continues its vital mission of recognizing the essential work of literary translators who bridge Arabic literature with global readership, ensuring these important voices reach English-speaking audiences worldwide.