The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature today launched the first activities of the 2013 event with a call to all school children and undergraduates to enter three literary competitions. The competitions comprise the Oxford University Press Story Writing Competition, The Taaleem Poetry Award and the Readers’ Cup. Information and entry forms for all three competitions can be found online at www.emirateslitfest.com.

“During the summer months, we encourage students to continue reading and writing and this is a great opportunity also to get a head start on developing their stories, poems and reading entries,” said Isobel Abulhoul, Festival Director. “The ever-increasing popularity of the competitions and the wealth of talent we have in our schools and universities is going to make for exciting and inspirational work.

“Of course, 2013 is the Festival’s 5th Anniversary and we are delighted to be kicking off with something for young people. It is also pleasing to welcome back our wonderful sponsors Oxford University Press and Taaleem who share our vision and values.”

All information about the competitions, including themes, prizes, rules, age categories, deadlines and submission forms is available online at http://emirateslitfest.com/writingcompetition

The fifth Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will take place on 5 to 9 March 2013 in Dubai under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and in partnership with Emirates Airline and Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture). The competitions culminate with Award Ceremonies held during the Festival where students are honoured by leading poets and authors.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Christina Bruce
Tel.: +971 4 353 4002
christina.bruce@emirateslitfest.com

Feras Salah
Tel: +971 4 425 8986
feras.salah@ketchum-raad.com

About The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word, bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together with authors from across the world to promote education, debate and above all else, love of reading and writing.
The Festival creates a wonderful opportunity for UAE nationals, residents and visitors to meet world famous authors, attend literary debates, listen to readings, participate in workshops and experience the exciting fringe and children’s events. With simultaneous translation between Arabic and English for all sessions, the Festival is a meeting of minds where ideas are shared and friendships are formed – not least among the authors themselves.

The 2013 Festival will be held between 5-9 March 2013, in Dubai.

About Taaleem

Taaleem, which means education in Arabic, has been establishing, operating and managing early childhood, primary and secondary schools since its inception in 2004. Taaleem seeks to raise the regional educational standards through the committed development of individual student’s talents and passions, which is in turn facilitated and supported by the recruitment of top international educators and the implementation of international education policies, operations and global best practice.

With quality at the forefront of Taaleem’s offering, each project is tailored to answer the specific educational requirements of a wide range of families by offering top international curricula including British, American, the International Baccalaureate and their proprietary custom early childhood programme.

Taaleem is wholeheartedly committed to creating and implementing benchmark educational initiatives, nurturing educational excellence through the attraction, retention and development of the best educators. The continuous evaluation and improvement of standards across all schools has ensured that the Taaleem schools have been established as valued cornerstones of their communities.

For more information about Taaleem please contact:
Clive Pierrepont, Director of Communications, Taaleem
cpierrepont@taaleem.ae Telephone 0558097447

About Oxford University Press

The largest University Press in the world, OUP is a department of the University of Oxford and has an international reputation for scholarship, authority, and innovation, established by works such as the Oxford English Dictionary, the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, and the Oxford Book of Short Stories, edited by the eminent author A. S. Byatt.

Generations of students all over the world have studied English with Oxford, have learnt to read with the Oxford Reading Tree, been entertained by the wonderful Dominoes and Bookworms reading libraries, and graduated from university with the support of Oxford textbooks.

In 1478 the first book was printed in Oxford. In the age of e-books and online learning, Oxford University Press continues to innovate across the world and provide the best in digital and print resources.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUP: contact:
Julie Till, Regional Manager, Oxford University Press,
julie.till@oup.com Telephone: 04 3644695