Deadline set for Rashid bin Humaid Award

The Umm Al Moumineen Women's Association has set April 30 as the deadline for entries in the 18th Rashid bin Humaid Award for Culture and Sciences. The Dh200,000 award has two main categories - one for scholars and the second for university and secondary school students in the GCC.

All entries should deal with new subjects and should not have been been previously published nor submitted to any other competition. They should be written in perfect standard Arabic. Three copies of each work, including the original copy, should be submitted with the entry. A winner in two consecutive years may compete only in another category. Scholars can enter under three categories. One is scientific research, which should focus on scientific subjects related to the GCC.

A second category is human research, which deals this year with three subjects including social studies on consumer protection, studies on private education in the GCC, literary studies dealing with creativity in poetry, and short story. In addition there will be a literary study on UAE poet Rashid bin Salem Al Kidder as well as studies related to UAE society focusing on the changing trends of youth.

All research will be assessed by a committee comprising professors and experts in each specialty. The Scholar's Category prize will be divided into three sections: one for research in which the winner will receive Dh12,000, and the second-place winner Dh8,000.

The winner of the second section for poetry will receive Dh5,000 and the second-place winner will get Dh3,000. The first and second-place winners for the section on the short story will receive Dh5,000 and Dh3,000.

In the category for secondary schools and university students, those students below 25 can write in two fields: literature, which includes poetry and the short story; and general cultural research which focuses on dialogue in literature, aspects of leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; youth and Information Technology, and the effects of fast food on health.

The first, second and third-place winners will receive Dh4,000, Dh3,000 and Dh2,000. Each will also receive a certificate of appreciation and a medal. The deadline for entries in this category is April 14.