Celebrating outstanding literary efforts and contributions of Pakistani writers from both within and outside the country, UBL gave away Literary Awards for the ninth year running; the announcement was made on the bank's social media platforms on Tuesday, September 8.

Like every year, the awards received enthusiastic participation right after the call for entries was made earlier this year.

Books written by Pakistani authors and published both within and outside Pakistan, from July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019, were shortlisted by a panel of judges including Dr. Asghar Nadeem Syed, Mr. Ghazi Salahuddin, Dr. Arfa Syeda, Ms. Kishwar Naheed, Dr. Anwaar Ahmad, Mr. Masood Ashar and Ms. Muneeza Shamsie.

Two new categories titled Debut Book (both in English and Urdu), in addition to the existing eight, were awarded this time.

Winners of the 9th UBL Literary Awards

This year, 11 special awards were given out to worthy pieces of literature.

Here is the complete list of winners:

1. Urdu Debut: Shajar-e-Hayat by Riyaz Ahmed

2. Urdu Children’s Literature: Kahaniyon Wala Kalam by Ahmed Adnan Tariq and Nanhay Geet Aur Nazmein by Zara Mumtaz

3. Translation into Urdu: Hikayat-e-Spencer by Tayyeba Tehsin Firaqui

4. Urdu Poetry: Mauhoom Ki Mehek by Abrar Ahmad

5. Urdu Non-Fiction: Yaadon Kay Dareechay by Azmat Ahmad Ansari

6. Urdu Fiction: Char Darwesh Aur Aik Kachuwa by Syed Kashif Raza

7. English Debut: Melody Of A Tear by Haroon Khalid Akhtar

8. English Children’s Literature: Perween Rehman by Amina Azfar

9. English Non-Fiction: Interpretations of Jihad in South Asia: An Intellectual History by Tariq Rehman

10. English Fiction: The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali by Uzma Aslam Khan

11. Dr. Asif Farrukhi received the UBL Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Asif Farrukhi (late), renowned fiction-writer, critic and translator and esteemed judge of the UBL Literary Awards for his contribution to Pakistan’s literary landscape and his extraordinary body of work.

The UBL Literary Awards initiative: what's special and why?

UBL recognises its obligation to continuously improve its processes, systems, products and services to create value for the communities it operates in.

Through a transparent and prudent sustainability agenda, UBL aims to encourage positive impact via projects aimed towards the betterment of the environment, consumers, employees, communities and all its stakeholders.

UBL Literary Awards have been a cornerstone of one of the Bank’s initiatives of giving back to the society by supporting the cause of Pakistani literature.

The UBL Literary Awards’ platform, pioneered by UBL, is unique to any institution in Pakistan and recognises emerging talent in different categories and the nascent love of books in the country.

The ‘UBL Literary Excellence Award’ was introduced by the bank in 1967 as a commitment to elevate the literary standards of the country. Discontinued after the Bank’s nationalisation in the mid-1970s, this award was reinstituted at the bank’s Golden Jubilee year in 2009. This revival was a clear indicator of UBL’s progressive sustainability agenda towards providing the much needed impetus to Pakistani writers and encouraging the publication of books in Pakistan.

The reincarnated UBL Literary Awards were held in Karachi in 2010.

With each successive ceremony, the bank sees these awards becoming a benchmark of literary success, much appreciated by literary circles and the general public. The event is now recognised as UBL’s contribution in supporting and promoting literary activities in Pakistan.

The initiative has helped UBL become a recognised corporate patron of literature in the country.

The Bank remains supremely confident about seeing the UBL Literary Awards further evolve in the years to come, taking Pakistani literature to newer heights of recognition.

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