The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), also known as "the Arabic Booker", is regarded as the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high-quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages. In addition to the prize itself, IPAF supports other literary initiatives. In 2009, IPAF launched its inaugural nadwa (writers' workshop) for emerging writers of fiction in Arabic. The prize is administered by the Booker Prize Foundation in London, and is currently funded by Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi (DCT). Each year, the winner of the prize receives US$50,000, and the six shortlisted authors receive US$10,000 each.

Rules and entry

Full Rules of Entry are available to view here.

Trustees

Winners and nominees

= winner

2008

The winner was announced on 10 March 2008. The shortlist was announced on 29 January 2008, chosen from 131 entries.

2009

The winner was announced on 16 March 2009. The shortlist was announced on 10 December 2008. The longlist was announced on 11 November 2008, chosen from 121 entries.

2010

The winner was announced on 2 March 2010. The shortlist was announced on 15 December 2009. The longlist was announced on 17 November 2009, chosen from 115entries.

2011

The shortlist was announced 9 December 2010, chosen from a total of 123 submissions and a longlist of 16. The winners were announced on 14 March 2011, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. This marked the first time the award had been split, as well as the first female winner (Raja'a Alem).

2012

A total of 101 submissions from 15 countries were whittled down to a longlist of 13. This list was announced in November 2011. The final shortlist of six books was revealed on 11 January 2012. The winner was announced 27 March 2012.

2013

The longlist of 16 books was announced on 6 December 2012. The shortlist of six books was announced on 9 January 2013. The winner was announced on 23 April 2013.

2014

The longlist of 16 books was announced 7 January 2014. The shortlist of 6 books was announced 10 February 2014. The winner was announced 29 April 2014.

2015

On 13 February 2015 the shortlist was announced. The winner was announced 6 May 2015.

2016

The longlist was announced on 12 January 2016. The winner was announced 26 April 2016.

2017

The winner was announced 25 April 2017.

2018

The longlist was announced on 17 January 2018. The winner was announced 24 April 2018.

2019

The shortlist was announced on 5 February 2019, chosen from a total of 134 submissions from 9 Arab countries. The shortlist titles

2020

The winner was announced on 14 April 2020. The shortlist was announced on 4 February 2020. The longlist was announced on 17 December 2019, chosen from 128 entries.

2021

The longlist was chosen on 1 March 2021, chosen from 121 entries. The shortlist was announced on 29 March 2021 and the winner on 25 May 2021.

Judges

The judges since 2008 are listed below:

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2019

2020

2021

2022

Statistics

As of 2020, the following authors have been nominated at least three times: Three nominations Four nominations Countries The countries with the most nominations are: Sudan, Eritrea and the UAE have one nomination each.

IPAF Nadwa