RIYADH: Fourteen Saudi individuals and two organizations were honored at the 10th Princess Seetah bint Abdulaziz awards for excellence in community upliftment work in Riyadh on Saturday.
This year’s event was titled “Creativity and Innovation in Social Work,” which also, for the first time, honored students and principals for their social responsibility initiatives.
Dr. Fahad Al-Maghlouth, secretary-general of the Princess Seetah organization, said the aim of the awards was to “discover talent” as part of the Saudi government’s programs to develop the nation.
Princess Nouf bint Abdullah bin Saud Al-Kabeer Al-Saud, chair of the organization’s executive committee and member of its board of trustees, said that community upliftment projects were essential for a healthy society.
In the category “Responsible Citizenship,” several students were honored.
The winner of the elementary schools’ section was student Ayed Al-Ruwaili from Turaif in the Northern Borders, followed by Rima Al-Faris from Riyadh in second, and Hisham Al-Maarafi from Madinah in third.
The middle school winners were Sally Al-Harbi from Qassim in first place, followed by Adeeb Khadawardi from Makkah and Noura Al-Wadi’i from Jazan.
The high school winners were Samira Al-Maghlouth from the Eastern Province, Hanadi Karani from Madinah and Amr Al-Baraq from Jazan.
Also for the first time, as part of its “Tanseeq” platform linking government, non-government, non-profit, and private organizations in the field, two community bodies were honored.
The Osraty Association from Madinah and the Tawad Association from Al-Jouf won for their family development and counseling programs.
The winners of the Umm Al-Joud Initiative prize, for innovation in media and education, were also announced.
First place, for creating general awareness of social responsibility needs in society, was Dr. Abdullah Al-Alawai, who had his biggest supporter — his grandmother — take to the stage and accept the award on his behalf.
In second place was Dr. Mushawah Almushawah, who was honored for creating awareness of mental health issues.
In third place was Khattaf Al-Khattaf for highlighting technological and digital communication developments.
In fourth and fifth were Sultan Al-Kulaib for human development awareness, and Majid Al-Ghamdi for social media awareness.
Established in 2012 by royal decree, the Princess Seetah bint Abdulaziz Foundation for Excellence in Social Work encourages and supports community upliftment programs.
