The First Sand Fox Book Award Reaches Its Final Station
The inaugural *Sand Fox Book Award* concluded with the announcement of its winners in two categories—original fiction and translation. The closing ceremony was held on Friday evening, October 3, 2025, at the Central BookCity. The novels *The Gate of the Dead* by Hamidreza Shahabadi and *Scythe* by Neal Shusterman, translated by Arezoo Moghaddas, were selected as the top titles by a jury composed entirely of teenage readers. The event, founded to amplify the voices of young readers and give them full authority in the selection process, also featured the presentation of a special UNICEF Award and recognition of the most active teen judges.
Organized by the BookCity Institute, the *Sand Fox Book Award* brought together young readers from across Iran. Its defining feature was entrusting every step of the judging process to teenagers themselves—a gesture that, according to the award’s secretary, was rooted in “trusting the new generation and listening directly to their voices.” Notably, even the design and hosting of the closing ceremony were carried out by the teenagers.
After several months of online evaluation, the winners in the categories of original fiction and translation were announced in an engaging, interactive format. In the original fiction category, *The Gate of the Dead* by Hamidreza Shahabadi (Ofoq Publishing) received the highest number of votes. In the translation category, *Scythe* by Neal Shusterman, translated by Arezoo Moghaddas (Porteghal Publishing), was chosen as the winner.
**UNICEF Special Award for *The Gate of the Dead***
One of the highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of UNICEF’s special emblem to one of the five original works that had reached the final stage. Ms. Dorina Andrew Jitaru, UNICEF Representative in Iran, expressed her pleasure at participating in the event, describing books as “one of humanity’s greatest inventions, shaping the identity of individuals.” She emphasized UNICEF’s mission to protect children and their futures, announcing that the book selected for this honor addresses the right to childhood, education, and learning. The award went to *The Gate of the Dead* by Hamidreza Shahabadi.
**Scientific Secretary: We Placed Complete Trust in Teenagers**
Fereydoon Amoozadeh Khalili, the scientific secretary of the *Sand Fox Book Award*, shared a moment from the process, recalling a teenager’s question: “Why did it take so long to create an award like this?” He replied, “Our generation has always been a little too cautious—afraid to entrust choice to teenagers. But this time, we decided to let go of that fear.”
He stressed that the teen judges operated with full independence: “Adults had absolutely no involvement in the selections; there was no engineering of results. Every decision belongs entirely to the teenagers—their choices, for better or worse, are their own.” Amoozadeh Khalili expressed hope that in future years the number of judges, currently around 1,500, will grow to over 250,000, making the award a true reflection of Iran’s young generation.
**Teen Jury Statement: We Want to Be Taken Seriously**
In another part of the event, Mehda Tavassoli read a statement on behalf of the teen judges. “We didn’t want to remain just spectators or listeners,” the statement said. “We wanted a stage where our voices and perspectives could be seen and heard.”
It continued: “The world of teenagers is full of excitement, fear, hope, and concern. We support books that take us seriously—not those that think being a teenager means being simple-minded. We enjoy genuine fear, need humor and laughter, and also care deeply about social issues, loneliness, and injustice.”
**Appreciation for Active Teen Judges**
Tayebeh Ojaghayi, the executive secretary of the award, described the process of selecting the most active judges from more than 1,300 participants across Iran—from Abu Musa to Shiraz and Isfahan. Choosing the top 30, she noted, was a difficult task given the enthusiasm, precision, and responsibility the teenagers showed during the three-month evaluation process. The names of the most active participants were then announced and invited to the stage for recognition.
Among the award presenters were Noush Afarin Ansari, Secretary of the Children’s Council; Azadeh Nazarboland, Secretary-General of Iran’s Public Libraries Institution; Hamed Hemayatkar, CEO of the *BeKhan* reading platform; and Fereydoon Amoozadeh Khalili.
Ojaghayi also expressed gratitude to UNICEF, Iran’s Public Libraries Institution, the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, and the *BeKhan* platform for their collaboration.
**Announcing the Winners — the Creative Way**
The most exciting moment of the evening came when the winners were revealed in an innovative, participatory manner. During the translation category announcement, balloons were distributed among the audience—only one containing the name of the winning book. The others directed participants to a digital “Sand Fox Fortune” experience. After a countdown, the audience popped their balloons, and the teenager who found the slip with the winning title stepped on stage to announce *Scythe* as the winner. Arezoo Moghaddas received her award directly from the teen judges. The same interactive method was used to announce the original fiction winner, *The Gate of the Dead* by Hamidreza Shahabadi, who also received his award from the young judges.
In brief remarks, Shahabadi called the recognition “a true honor,” adding, “This award means a lot to me because it is chosen by readers themselves. It shows that I have been able to connect with the teenage audience.” He also thanked UNICEF for its attention to the theme of children’s rights in his work.
The event’s closing moments were filled with excitement and joy, reflecting the award’s youthful, participatory spirit—a celebration of creativity free from formal clichés.
The first *Sand Fox Book Award* concluded with the announcement that the initiative will continue in the coming years.
Photos: **Pariya Fathi**
