The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission honored the winners of the 2025 Riyadh International Book Fair Awards during a ceremony held today on the fair’s stage at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, as part of the activities of the Kingdom’s major annual cultural event, which lasted for 10 days.

The ceremony opened with a speech delivered by the Director General of the General Administration of Publishing at the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, Engineer Bassam Al-Bassam. He emphasized that this year’s fair presented a unique cultural panorama that brought together more than 2,000 publishing houses and literary agencies from 25 countries, reflecting the vitality of the Saudi cultural scene and the expansion of its regional and global influence.

He said that Riyadh Reads is not merely a slogan, but a reality that reflects a society that has made culture a part of everyday life.

He explained that the Commission has made supporting the publishing industry one of its priorities in recent years, thanks to the generous support of the wise leadership. He noted that the Commission has launched strategic programs for publishing and translation, as well as projects to develop value chains in the book sector.

Al-Bassam highlighted the Book Fair Program, which was launched in 2021, explaining that over five years the Commission organized 14 fairs in various regions of the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Jazan, and the Eastern Province. This provided unprecedented opportunities for publishing houses from inside and outside the Kingdom to reach millions of readers directly, contributing to increased sales, greater professionalism, and the expansion of the national cultural movement.

He expressed his thanks and appreciation to the wise leadership, may God preserve it, for its unlimited support and extensive patronage of culture, the arts, and creativity, and to His Highness the Minister of Culture for his commitment to developing this vital sector. He also announced that the Commission looks forward to meeting the literary and knowledge community again at the Jeddah International Book Fair in two months.

Dr. Abdul Latif bin Abdulaziz Al-Wasel, CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, honored the winners of the 2025 fair awards in five categories, with each award carrying a value of SAR 50,000.

Tashkeel Publishing and Distribution won the Excellence in Publishing Award, while the King Abdulaziz Public Library received the Children’s Category Award. Manga Productions was awarded the Digital Platforms Award, the Translation Award went to Takween Publications, and the Saudi Content Award was presented to Adab Publishing and Distribution.

The ceremony concluded with the honoring of the winners in the presence of a large gathering of writers, intellectuals, and publishers. The celebratory evening reflected the scale of the cultural achievement of the 2025 Riyadh International Book Fair, which brought together creativity, knowledge, and dialogue.

The fair’s programs and events also witnessed strong public attendance from various countries around the world, embodying the Kingdom’s vision of making culture a fundamental driver of development and an open space for creativity.