Five of six shortlisted translators are women, mirroring the broader submission pool where 14 of 18 translators were female.

The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature unveiled its 2025 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize shortlist, commemorating two decades of championing Arabic literature in English translation.

The six-book selection – spanning comic fiction, historical epic, dystopian narrative, prison memoir, and Gulf eco-fiction – reflects the prize’s evolution from niche interest to mainstream publishing priority.

The winner and runner-up will be announced on 7 January 2026, with anniversary events planned in London and Dubai through February 2026.

Gender Dynamics in Translation

A striking gender imbalance emerges: five of six shortlisted translators are women, mirroring the broader submission pool where 14 of 18 translators were female.

While this demonstrates women’s dominance in Arabic literary translation – a field requiring deep cultural mediation – it contrasts sharply with the predominantly male author cohort (10 of 16 entries).

Publishing professionals should note this as both a recruitment trend and a potential market driver, as women translators increasingly shape Anglophone reception of Arab voices.

The Competitive Field

The shortlisted works demonstrate sophisticated commissioning across independent and academic presses:

• The Guardian of Surfaces (Bothayna Al-Essa, trans. Ranya Abdelrahman & Sawad Hussain, Selkies House) – Kuwaiti eco-fiction expanding Gulf literature’s footprint

• Honey Hunger (Zahran Alqasmi, trans. Marilyn Booth, Hoopoe/AUC Press) – Omani novel from an International Prize for Arabic Fiction-winning author

• On the Greenwich Line (Shady Lewis, trans. Katharine Halls, Peirene Press) – Syrian-British satire on austerity Britain

• Granada: The Complete Trilogy (Radwa Ashour, trans. Kay Heikkinen, Hoopoe/AUC Press) – Egyptian historical epic

• The Tale of a Wall (Nasser Abu Srour, trans. Luke Leafgren, Penguin Press) -Palestinian prison memoir

• Sand-Catcher (Omar Khalifah, trans. Barbara Romaine, Coffee House Press) – Palestinian short story collection

Professional Implications

The judging panel – chaired by Professor Tina Phillips alongside Dr Susan F. Frenk, Nashwa Nasreldin, and Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL – brings academic and literary commerce expertise. With a £3,000 winner’s purse and new £1,000 runner-up award, the prize offers meaningful recognition in a category where translation costs often challenge acquisitions budgets.

Publishers should monitor this anniversary year as a bellwether for Arabic literature’s market trajectory, particularly the rise of graphic narratives and climate-conscious fiction from underrepresented regions.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.