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Morocco Pays Tribute to Literature with 55th Morocco Book Prize Awards at SIEL

Rabat – Morocco's Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication held the 2024 Morocco Book Prize ceremony this Saturday in Rabat, alongside the 30th International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL). Marking its 55th edition, the Morocco Book Prize is one of the country's most distinguished honors for intellectual and cultural achievements. Each year, it brings forward the breadth and depth of Morocco's literary and scholarly work, paying tribute to the efforts of writers, researchers, and thinkers who enrich the national cultural landscape. A panel of academics, researchers, and writers carefully reviewed and selected the winning works after thorough deliberations. This year's Poetry Prize was shared between Idriss El Melliani and Mohamed Aziz El Hossini. Said Montasib received the Narrative Prize. Meanwhile, the Human Sciences prize was shared between Hicham Rakik and Samir Ait Oumghar. Hassan Taleb earned the Translation Prize, while Larbi Moumouche received the Award for Amazigh Cultural Studies. The Amazigh Literature Prize went to Fouad Azeroual. No award was given in the categories of Social Sciences, Literary, Artistic and Linguistic Studies, or Children's and Young Adult Literature, with the jury deciding that entries did not meet the set standards. The 23rd Ibn Battouta Prize for Travel Literature was also awarded on Saturday in SIEL. The ceremony gathered figures from the world of media, culture, and literature. Read also: SIEL Opens with Conversations on Culture, Memory, and Literary Legacy Morocco's Minister of Youth, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, pointed to the importance of the prize, now in its 23rd year, while also noting its contribution to building a rich body of research and texts. The director of the Arab Center for Geographic Literature, Nouri Al Jarrah, described the Ibn Battouta Prize as a major reference point for Arab cultural life. Seven Moroccan writers featured among the twelve winners this year, dominating several categories, including research, translation, and analysis in travel literature. In the 'Verified Travel' category, Moroccan researchers Abdelhadi Kadioui, Houria Rifi, and Mohamed El Andaloussi were jointly awarded for their studies on historical travel accounts. Other Moroccan winners included Mohamed Mohamed Khattabi in the 'Daily Journal' category and Abdelaziz Jadir, Mohamed Naddam, and Abderrahman Temmara in the 'Studies' category. Meanwhile, the Jordanian Issam Mohammed Al-Shahadat and Lebanese Issa Makhlouf received prizes in the categories of translated travel literature and contemporary travel writing, respectively. Since its creation in 2000, the Ibn Battouta Prize has honored 144 writers from 20 countries and four continents. Gathering writers and cultural workers from across Morocco and beyond, this year's SIEL turned into a haven where literature, culture, human rights, and education met in a spirit of exchange. It has notably solidified Rabat's designation as UNESCO's World Book Capital 2026. Tags: Book fairBook PrizeRabat book fairSIELSIEL 2025