Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Statistics and Community Development Department, the Sharjah Institute for Heritage organized a ceremony to honor the winners of the fifth cycle of the Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage.
The ceremony was held at the theatre of the International Organizations Center for Cultural Heritage, attended by distinguished dignitaries, officials, experts and researchers from around the world.
Person of the Year for Heritage Service
The Cultural Heritage Person of the Year Award was won by Dr. Najeeb Abdullah Al Shamsi from the UAE, in recognition of his research and community contributions to preserving Emirati heritage.
Fifth Cycle Winners
The fifth cycle witnessed distinguished participations from various countries, with awards distributed across three main fields:
Best Practices in Preserving Cultural Heritage:
- Local: Quran Complex in Sharjah
- Arab: Royal Institute for Traditional Arts (Saudi Arabia)
- International: Malaybar Foundation for Research and Development (India)
Narrators and Heritage Bearers:
- Local: Muhina Ali Obaid Al Suraidi
- Arab: Salman bin Abdullah Al Hamad (Saudi Arabia)
- International: Elizabeth Weir (Ireland)
Research and Studies:
- Local: Dr. Aisha Ali Al Ghais Al Zaabi
- Arab: Said Al Farsi (Oman)
- International: Jean Lambert (France)
About the Award
The Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage was launched in 2017 under Emiri Decree No. (19), and is the first Arab award to take an international approach in preserving intangible cultural heritage.
