Award winners honoured for finding solutions to local challenges

AMMAN — The King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement (KAAYIA) on Monday announced the eighth round of winners of an initiative to recognise creative Arab youth. 

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah,  inaugurated the award ceremony held at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The award honours youth who create innovative solutions to address pressing challenges in their communities. 

The KAAYIA comes in line with the King’s vision to invest in human resources and promote creativity, said Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, adding that it is the most distinguished and important official award in the scientific and innovative fields.

The KAAYIA, launched in 2007, is granted every two years and covers three fields: arts, sciences and the field of urban projects and issues of the Arab city. This year’s Citizenship and National Identity Award was given jointly, to Majdeddine Khamash from Jordan and Muhammad Abu Saleh from Palestine. 

The award’s committee of judges reviewed 127 projects submitted by participants from 13 Arab countries along with Jordan. This year, the committee decided to not give awards in the fields of security and confidentiality of information, as well as the Arab city, as the papers did not meet the award’s criteria.

The KAAYIA uses three criteria to select awardees: leadership and innovation, partnership and cooperation and the impact of each project on local communities and its sustainability, according to KAAYIA’s website.

The KAAYIA allots $25,000 for each field and includes a golden medallion engraved with the King’s photo and the award’s name. Razzaz distributed the awards to the winners and honoured the committee of judges who were awarded certificates of appreciation.