Year-end Review: Prestigious Awards Shape Saudi Arabia’s Modern Renaissance in 2024
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has undergone tremendous cultural change with various prestigious awards and competitions.
The advancement of the Kingdom’s cultural scene has gained both local and international recognitions.
The year 2024 marked the launch of three prestigious awards that deeply mirror the Kingdom’s modern renaissance. They include the Golden Pen Award for Novels, King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award, and King Abdulaziz International Competition for Qur’an Memorization.
The Golden Pen Award for Novels
Saudi Arabia launched the Golden Pen Award for Novels in July with a total prize pool of $690,000, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turki Al-Alshaikh, indicated that successful works would be turned into cinematic works.
The awards included three categories:
1- First place: $100,000
2- Second place: $50,000
3- Third place: $30,000
King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award
2024 witnessed the launch of the first edition of the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award to elevate the architectural scene in the Kingdom.
The Award featured three categories; “Built Projects”, “Unbuilt Projects” and “Student Projects.”
The Award represents a promising initiative designed basically to celebrate the extraordinary architectural marvels in accordance with the values of the King Salman Charter in Saudi Arabia.
Launched to glory King Salman’s vision, the Award boosts and stimulates cutting-edge and creative designs and encourages architects and designers to integrate the Charter’s principles into their work.
Built Projects
The “Built Projects” track targeted the distinctive urban environment that has been already designed, implemented and operated. Furthermore, it highlighted various winning projects including, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and Banyan Tree AlUla Resort.
Unbuilt Projects
Meanwhile, the second category “Unbuilt Projects” featured designs for incomplete architectural works.
Mihrab and Sports Boulevard projects won prestigious awards in recognition of their success in this category.
Student Projects
The third track unleashed new horizons for brilliant university students to create and design new architectural projects.
Crucially, it featured 8 projects from various universities across the Kingdom.
Such projects included King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language and 2-Contemporary Neighborhood Design.
King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran
In August, the Kingdom launched the 44th edition of King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran.
The competition highlighted the participation of 174 individuals from 123 countries, with a total prize pool of SAR4 million.
Organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance in the Grand Mosque, the event represents a valuable platform gathering Muslims around the world.
The contest stands as a testament to the Kingdom’s commitment to honor the people of the Qur’an and its pivotal role in serving Islam and Muslims around the world.
In the light of this, the participants have commended Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment and great care for the Noble Qur’an.
Furthermore, they expressed sincere gratitude to the Saudi authorities for their generous hospitality and seamless services.
Related Topics:
Saudi Arabia Launches Golden Pen Award Novels with $690,00 Prize Pool
In Photos: Meet Winners of King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award
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