RIYADH: Nominations opened on Thursday for the inaugural Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China. They will be accepted at the website www.pmsa.org.sa until the end of February.

The secretary-general of the awards, Abdul Mohsen Al-Aqili, invited academic and cultural institutions in both countries to suggest nominees in four main categories: Research and Studies in Cultural Fields; Artistic and Creative Works; Translation Between Arabic and Chinese; and Cultural Personality of the Year.

Other than the personality of the year category, which is open to individuals, the nominees can be cultural or academic institutions or individuals, and they can nominate themselves.

“The Award is governed by general conditions, the most important of which is that the nominee must be a Saudi or Chinese,” said Al-Aqili.

Nominated work must “achieve the main goal of the awards, which is to contribute to strengthening cultural communication in general, and between the Arab and Chinese cultures in particular.”

The awards are based on the values of cultural openness and communication between peoples, and they will be governed by the principles of objectivity, integrity, transparency and intellectual property rights, he added.

The scheme will place a particular focus on the youth of both countries, with the aim of investing in their technical and artistic skills to help enhance cultural communication, Al-Aqili said.