Entry is open to books that meet these criteria:[5] the book must be written in Arabic; must be original (not translated, quoted or reproduced); and must have been published within the past three years. The book may not have received any previous local, regional or international awards, and the content must not violate the values, traditions and customs of Arab communities. Entry is open to children's books that target the age group from 0 to 14 years, and each publishing house is entitled to nominate a maximum of three titles.
The prize is for DH 1,000,000 which is split with 50% divided between the author and/or illustrator, and 50% to the publisher. From 2009-2012, it was one of the richest literary prizes in the world for a single winner.
Starting in 2013, the award was significantly restructured with new categories and a splitting of the 1,000,000 AED award as follows.
Best Text 100,000 AED
Best Illustration 100,000 AED
Best Production 100,000 AED
Best Children's Book of the Year 300,000 AED (split between author, illustrator and publisher)
Best Young Adult Book of the Year 200,000 AED (split between author and publisher)
Etisalat Award Workshops for Children’s Books 200,000 AED
Best Children's Book of the Year: A Tale Within a Tale Within a Tale written by Hadil Ghoneim and illustrated by Sahar Abdallah for Shahrazizi’s Nights: Published by Dar al-Balsam in Egypt[16]
Best Young Adult Book of the Year: شقائق النعمان (The Poppy Anemone), by Haya Saleh, published by Al Yasmine for Publishing and Distribution in Jordan.[16]
Best Text: Words by Syria’s Jikar Khorshid. The book was illustrated by Maha Daher.[16]