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Awards

Awards and Recognitions

When Tamer Institute for Community Education began its journey in the late 1980s, its primary mission was not to seek accolades, but to find a window of light for children living under the weight of destruction and siege. Over the decades, its contributions to education, culture, and children’s literature have gained significant Arab and international recognition, manifesting in awards that highlight the Institute's role in building a reading and learning Palestinian society.

Tamer did not treat awards as mere symbolic gains, but rather as indicators that the world hears Palestine’s cultural voice and recognizes the ability of children and youth to be the creators of their own narrative, not just spectators. Thanks to these successes, Tamer has become a primary partner in international cultural networks dedicated to reading and creative writing. It has managed to bring the Palestinian experience to international book fairs and participate with research papers in children’s literature conferences across Europe and the Arab world, offering a unique Palestinian model that bridges culture with education and society.

International Awards
  • 2004: Certificate of Honor in Writing from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).
  • 2005: The Italian MedChild Award for the best work in the fields of education and culture.
  • 2009: The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA). As the most prestigious international prize in children's and young adult literature, this recognized Tamer as the first Arab Palestinian institution to receive the honor for promoting reading as a human value and a tool for survival under harsh circumstances.
  • 2015: IBBY Honor List for 'Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands' and ‘A Story That Begins and Ends with Imagination'.
  • 2022: Inclusion of Tamer’s publications in the IBBY Honor List.
     
Local and Arab Awards
  • The Falak and Abdul Karim Kamel Al-Shawa Award for Community Organizations – “For Gaza” (2017): Awarded by the Welfare Association (Taawon) in tribute to Tamer’s role in supporting community libraries in Gaza after the war, and for its programs in empowering children and youth to continue reading and expressing themselves amidst crises.
  • Best Book Award for the Early Childhood Category: From the Arab Children’s Book Publishers Forum, for the book "The Giant" (Al-Mared) by author Nahla Ghandour and illustrator Jana Traboulsi.
  • Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature (2018): Won in the “Best Young Adult Book” category for the story "The Tale of the Oil’s Secret" by author Walid Daqqa.
  • Arabic Young Adult Book Award: At the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival in its tenth session, for the book "Thunderbird – Part One" by author Sonia Nimr.
  • Best Young Adult Book for People with Special Needs Award: At the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival for the novel "Thunderbird."
  • Best Children's Book Publisher Award: From the Arab Publishers Forum (2018).
  • Note on Production: Tamer has produced more than 200 diverse publications, including stories, references, research books, and illustrated books; among them are translated editions and documentary works that link literature to the Palestinian reality.
  • Sharjah Book Authority Award (2018): In appreciation of its creativity in developing the Palestinian and
  • Arab publishing sector.
  • Sharjah Book Authority Award (2019): For the book "Thunderbird."
  • Sheikh Zayed Book Award (2020): For the publication "The Lilac Girl" (Al-Fatat al-Laylakiyya).
  • Children’s Literature Publishers Forum Award (2022): For the book "That’s Why Rayan Walks Like This."
  • Palestine Award for Social Sciences and Humanities (2022): Presented by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture for the "Encyclopedia of Folk Tales."