Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi

Emirati publisher revolutionizing Arabic children's literature through global distribution networks

Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi is the founder of Kalimat Press, a UAE-based publisher that has produced over 800 Arabic children's books since 2015. Her groundbreaking Global Arabic Children's Book Prize has awarded $500,000 to authors from 25+ Arab countries, increasing indigenous Arabic children's books by 300% between 2020-2024.

She pioneered the Arabic Book Bridge initiative in 2022, creating translation partnerships with major publishers like Penguin Random House. Her 2023 British Council collaboration established the first Arabic-English dual-language book program in UK schools. Sheikha Bodour's Read Arabia campaign distributed 2 million free books across refugee camps by 2024.

Her TED Talk 'Stories That Unite Nations' has 1.8M views. In 2021, she launched the Children's Book Council of the Arab World, now representing 400+ publishers. She was named UNESCO's 2023 Literacy Champion for her work expanding Arabic literary access.