Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award winners honoured

Organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award honoured the winners of its sixth and seventh editions. The winners included individuals, teams, and institutions who took part in unique projects that support and promote Arabic language. The event was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of the Dubai Council.

The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai; His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library (MBRL) Foundation; and His Excellency Bilal Al Budoor, Secretary-General of the Award.

Speaking on the occasion, HE Al Murr stated: “The Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award reflects the great strides made by the intellectual and cultural movement, in line with the unique vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It also shows the UAE’s commitment to preserve the Arabic language and sustainably develop it.

“Since the establishment and launch of this award, we have been keen to prioritise spreading awareness on the importance of personal and institutional initiatives in this field. Additionally, we encourage youth to be creative in coming up with different uses for the Arabic language. We’ve also worked to promote Arabisation to benefit from different cultural experiences, to position the Arabic language as the language of the future.”

HE Al Murr noted: “Every year, we reap the fruits of these goals and visions with every new and innovative initiative or project that participates in the award. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts and contributions to the success of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award, and I congratulate the winners for their creativity and excellence. Together, we can create a better future for the Arabic language.”

HE Al Budoor said: “The diversity and creativity in the entries reflect the richness of the Arabic language, which is evident in every project. These efforts highlight the beauty of the Arabic language and its ability to keep pace with modern developments.”

HE Al Budoor added: “The participation of individuals and institutions from different parts of the world reflects their understanding of the importance of the Arabic language and its role in building bridges of communication between different cultures.

“These are unique and valuable projects, which reflect how the Arabic language can be a hub for creativity and innovation, opening new horizons for development and progress, and stressing the language’s ability to adapt, grow, and prosper. This event celebrates efforts to enhance the position of the Arabic language in the modern world, and emphasises the importance of continuous work to protect and develop it, to ensure that it remains an essential pillar of Arab identity and culture.”

Sixth edition winners
The first subcategory in the Education segment of the awards recognises efforts to figure out the best way to teach and learn Arabic in early education, the winner being the Arab Thought Foundation from Lebanon for its initiative ‘Contributing to the Development of Learning and Teaching the Arabic Language (Arabic 21)’.

The second subcategory seeks to honour the best initiative for teaching Arabic in schools (grades 1 to 12), with the Kamkalima Foundation from Lebanon adjudged the winner for its ‘Kamkalima’ initiative.

The third subcategory in the Education segment recognises the best initiative to teach Arabic to non-Arabic speakers. The winner in this category was the Saudi Electronic University from Saudi Arabia for its ‘Arabic Online Program’.

In the Media and Communication segment, the first subcategory applauded outstanding work in Arabic in electronic media and social media channels. Karaza Children’s Channel from the United States was named the winner in this category.

The second subcategory in the Media and Communication segment recognised the best initiative to serve the cause of Arabic language in the media. The talent management team from Abu Dhabi Media Company in the UAE came away winners for their initiative, ‘Bil Arabi Program’.

In the Technology category, the first subcategory recognised the best initiative to use social networking or intelligent technical application for learning and publishing Arabic. Mahmoud Salah Abdelaziz Al-Sayed Suleiman from Egypt was named the winner for his initiative ‘Easy Arabic’.

The second subcategory in the Technology category honoured top efforts to develop and publish Arabic digital content or Arabic language processors. The winner in this category was the Kalman Curriculum initiative for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers presented by the Kalman Foundation for Educational Services from Egypt.

In the Linguistic Policy, Planning and Arabisation segment, the first subcategory recognised efforts to evolve the best language policy and planning initiative. The winner in this category was The National Arabic Language Week initiative in Chad, organised and supervised by the General Union of Arabic Language Support Institutions in Chad.

The second subcategory in the Linguistic Policy, Planning and Arabisation segment highlighted the best project of localisation or translation. The Arab Centre for Arabisation, Translation, Authorship and Publication in Syria was adjudged the winner for its initiative to promote the process of Arabisation of higher education in the Arab region.

In the Culture, Intellect and Knowledge Society segment, the first subcategory recognised the best initiative to promote reading culture and a knowledge society, with The Family Reading Program by Youth Sada, an Omani Foundation, taking top honours.

The second subcategory in the segment sought to reward outstanding artistic, cultural or intellectual work to serve the Arabic language. The award in this category was withheld.

Seventh edition honours list
The first subcategory in the Education segment that recognises the best way to teach and learn Arabic in early education saw the ‘One Book for Us, One Study Day for You’ initiative by Ajyal Foundation for Education from the UAE taking top honours.

The second subcategory in the segment, which celebrates the best initiative for teaching Arabic in schools (grades 1 to 12), saw the award going to the Technology Foundation from Lebanon for its digital transformation initiative to educate school dropouts and to eradicate illiteracy.

The third subcategory in the segment honoured the best initiative to teach Arabic to non-Arabic speakers. The winner in this category was the Arabic Language Teaching Institute for Non-Arabic Speakers at Princess Nourah University in Saudi Arabia, for its programme on teaching Arabic as a second language via metaverse.

In the Media and Communication segment, the first subcategory recognised the best initiative to serve the cause of Arabic language in the media. Dubai Media Incorporated in the UAE took top honours for its programme ‘Inspector Faseeh’.

The second subcategory in the segment recognised outstanding work in Arabic in electronic media and social media channels. The award in this category was withheld.

In the Technology segment, the first subcategory to reward the best initiative using social networking or intelligent technical application for learning and publishing Arabic saw the Engineering Company for Digital System Development from Egypt adjudged the winner for its ‘Natiq’ initiative.

The Arabic Glossary for Future Terminologies by Dubai Future Foundation in the UAE outshone others in the second subcategory in the segment recognising the best initiative to develop and publish Arabic digital content or Arabic language processors.

In the Linguistic Policy, Planning and Arabisation segment, the first subcategory recognising the best Language Policy and Planning Initiative also saw a winner from the UAE with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority’s project to support digital Arabic content in prime position.

The second subcategory in the segment for the best project of localisation or translation saw the ‘Interpretive Dictionary of Medicine and Health Sciences’ initiative, which was implemented by the Arab Center for Authorship and Translation of Health Science in Kuwait, emerging the winner.

In the Culture, Intellect and Knowledge Society segment for the best artistic, cultural or intellectual work to serve the Arabic language, the first subcategory saw Bidaya Media in the UAE adjudged winner for 'The Adventures of Mansour' programme.

Imad Ahmed Al-Attar from Morocco was named winner in the second subcategory for the best initiative to promote reading culture and a knowledge society for his Readers Club initiative in his home country.

The awards ceremony coincided with the inauguration of Al Arabiah Conference on the Arabic Language on 6 November. The conference, which takes place until 8 November, features seminars, meetings, and panel discussions in the presence of an elite group of writers, specialists, and interested parties.

Within the framework of its vision and strategy to promote the Arabic language, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award allocated nearly AED2.8 million ($750,000) for winners across its various categories.

Previous editions of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award attracted massive international participation from individuals and institutions. Since its launch, the award has received a total of 8,246 submissions and named 49 winners. The previous edition alone attracted more than 1,300 submissions. The award encourages individuals, institutions and teams to showcase their efforts under 11 categories falling under five primary areas of focus.

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