After becoming the first woman from a Gulf state to win the BolognaRagazzi Award for Fiction, Her Highness Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi returned this year to Bologna to celebrate the launch of the Italian edition of the award-winning children’s book “House of Wisdom”.
Sheikha Bodour shared the moment, saying, “So excited and a little emotional to hold the Italian edition of House of Wisdom in my hands.” The launch was followed by a book signing at Giannino Stoppani Bookshop.
Her Highness Sheikha Bodour’s time at Bologna did not end with the launch of her book; it was between literary legacy, women’s leadership, and the work that connects them.
PublisHer Excellence Awards 2026: Sheikha Bodour celebrates defining women in publishing
Starting her week with the opening of the PublisHer Lounge at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, a dedicated hub for networking, professional development, and knowledge exchange, featuring a dynamic programme of panels, keynote sessions, and the annual PublisHer Excellence Awards.
The third edition of the PublisHer Excellence Awards opened the week with 102 nominations across 34 countries; only three women were recognised: Ana María Bermúdez with the Emerging Leader Award, Monique Leite with the Innovation Award, and Ana María Cabanella with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sheikha Bodour, founder of PublisHer and presenter of the awards, arrived in a Valentino jacket from the spring 2026 collection, paired with an asymmetrical silk skirt. “Remarkable, industry-defining women,” she called the winners in an Instagram post.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi on Women Shaping Global Reading Cultures
In her capacity as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, took part in a panel titled “Leading Through Books: Women Shaping Reading Cultures Globally”, organised in collaboration with UN Publications.
Dressed in a Valentino bow-detail virgin wool crêpe jacket and white trousers, she addressed the harder conversation: access to culturally relevant content, the structural barriers still facing women in publishing leadership, and the urgent case for investment in local-language publishing.
Launching the 18th International Award for Arabic Children’s Literature
Sheikha Bodour also attended the launch of the 18th International Award for Arabic Children’s Literature, arriving in a full chambray look by Valentino, mastering the effortless, sophisticated look at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. “A proud milestone in our commitment to elevate Arabic children’s literature worldwide,” she said.
