THE winners of all the categories of one of the most prestigious award events in the kingdom – the 11th Yusuf bin Ahmed (YBA) Kanoo Award – were unveiled at a glitzy ceremony yesterday in Manama highlighting the very best in science, art and economic research.
Cash prizes and trophies were handed out by Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa who was welcomed at the Gulf Convention Centre by YBA Kanoo chairman Khalid Kanoo and senior company officials.
“The continued growth and development of the scientific, artistic and cultural movement in Bahrain is a result of the country’s support towards researchers, artists and intellectuals in the kingdom,” said Shaikh Khalid.
“To the winners of the awards, I wish you good luck and success in your future, and I am confident you will use your knowledge and skills to serve your country well.”
The winners were:
- In the economic research category, open to all Arab researchers, the first prize worth $30,000, was awarded to Dr Marwan Dayem from Egypt and Dr Loualid Messoui from Algeria. Participants were required to conduct comprehensive research and create a 50,000 word report on the topic: ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on the World Economy’.
- Maryam Abbas won the first prize in the scientific research category, walking away with $10,000. Participants in the scientific research field were required to produce a project or research paper on technology.
- In the art category, Zainab Nabi and Nour Qawz took the $10,000 first prize amid 70 entries working on a central theme of Bahraini Women’s Day and selected for display in an exhibition following a YBA Kanoo Arts Competition running from February to August.
“I covered the impact Covid-19 had worldwide, as well as in the GCC and Bahrain in my report. I particularly covered how Bahrain’s strong response lead to a quick recovery,” Applied Science University’s business administration and finance associate professor Dr Dayem, 45, told the GDN.
Meanwhile, Ms Abbas shared her heart-warming response on winning first place in the scientific research category.
“My project, which took a year to complete, covered how to convert the flow of water and use that to generate electricity. It encourages smart-households in the kingdom,” the 22-year-old from A’ali told the GDN.
Passionate sculpture artist Ms Nabi said that she wanted to highlight Bahraini women in her art, and was thrilled to have shared the top prize. “My art represents their multiple roles in society – from being working women to also nurturing their families.”
The scientific research category second place went to Shehab Habib who walked away with $7,000 and Ali Al Halal took the $5,000 third place prize.
In the art category, Fawaz Abdullah bagged a $7,000 second prize and Iman Ali and Maryam Ahmed shared the third place prize of $5,000.
All the delighted winners said they were thrilled to be a part of the YBA Kanoo Award success story. They said they were honoured to have been considered worthy of ‘one of the most prestigious awards in the kingdom’.
The YBA Kanoo Award believes that creativity is essential for progress and is committed to nurturing and ‘celebrating the creative spirit in all forms’, the organisers said.
Through competitions, the award seeks to inspire individuals to explore their artistic instincts and push boundaries.
It also seeks to provide a fundamental role in scientific research, offering innovative solutions and encouraging groundbreaking studies.
Established in 1998 in honour of the memory of the late Hajji Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo, who was a pioneer in commercial enterprise in Bahrain and the Arabian Gulf, the award aims to encourage youngsters in the kingdom to hone their skills, as well as add value to Arab societies.
Among the first education institutions to celebrate their students’ achievements was Bahrain Polytechnic praising winner Maryam for taking top spot and highlighting her project that it described as ‘spherical magnet-based energy harvesting for Internet of Things sensors from domestic water flow’. It also acclaimed fellow student Shehab’s second place for his project on virtual reality gaming-inducted brain therapy and Ali’s third place for his project on fault diagnosis using a scaled-down gas turbine test rig with induced faults.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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