Sharjah ( Suleman Jazib ) In the presence of Bodour Al Qasimi, International Publishers Association (IPA) President, the
Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) announced the shortlisted nominees for the debut edition of the
prestigious Sharjah Rights Connection Awards, launched earlier this year to honour the leading
contributions of rights professionals in promoting the global publishing industry.
Thirty-three applications were received from 14 countries in the two categories of the award.
The nominations in the first category of an individual professional selling translation rights at a
publishing company are:
● Elle Brenton-Rounding, Bonnier Books UK LTD, UK
● Gabriel Nieto, Editorial Planeta, Mexico
● Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Rashad, Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah, Egypt
The selected nominees in the second category of independent professionals or those working
with specialised agencies to sell the rights to books publishers and other licensors are:
● Benas Berantas, Book Smugglers Agency, Lithuania
● Aoife Lennon-Ritchie, The Lennon-Ritchie Agency, South Africa
● Mauro Spagnol, Books-Everywhere, UK
The shortlist was announced at a reception dinner on the side-lines of Frankfurter Buchmesse
2022.
Describing the response to the award’s debut edition as truly amazing, the SBA Chairman
added: “Over the past decade, SBA has been proud to put rights trading at the centre of our
activities as a fitting reflection of its role at the core of the publishing industry. Protection of
copyright and related rights of creators is vital to disseminate knowledge and ensure the
sustainability of the global publishing industry, and we are delighted to turn the spotlight on their
leading contributions through the new Sharjah Rights Connection Award.”
Al Ameri further noted that the awards offer a forward momentum to Sharjah’s successful 40-
year journey to add value to our collective existence as a global human race by strengthening
cross-cultural dialogue and knowledge exchange, in line with the vision and directives of His
Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of
Sharjah.
For his part, Mansour Al Hassani, Director of Publisher’s Services at SBA, said: “The award had
received 33 applications from 14 countries in the two categories of the award, with the highest
number of applications from Egypt, India and the UK.”
He added that entries were also received from the UAE, Albania, Argentina, Argentina, Canada,
Finland, Germany, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, and South Africa.
Winners will be revealed on the concluding day of the SIBF Publishers Conference, which takes
place from October 30 – November 1, in the lead up to Sharjah International Book Fair 2022
November 2 nd and runs until November 13 th in Expo Centre Sharjah. The event expects a huge
turn-out after breaking the record to become the world’s largest international book fair last year.