Minister lauds students' quest for perfection

Dubai: Competitions such as the Habib Mohammad Habib Al Reda Award for Media Innovation help Emirati youth present new ideas that go a long way in inspiring creativity at a national level, said Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and president of Zayed University.

Speaking at the second Habib Mohammad Habib Al Reda Award for Media Innovation awards ceremony on Monday, Shaikh Nahyan said the Al Reda family's decision to institute the awards was an example of the role of UAE citizens in supporting colleges and universities.

Innovations resulting from such endeavours were not only beneficial at a national level but also had the potential to contribute to scientific development globally, he said.

Winning entries chosen from among nine categories were announced at the event. Besides Zayed University, the competition also included entries from students of Higher Colleges of Technology and UAE University

Dr Ali Noor Mohammad, chair of the Department of Mass Communications at the UAE University, Al Ain, was a judge for the print media segment which attracted 106 entries.

Referring to the lone English investigative report entry, he said: "The quality was very good; it was very interesting to read. I thought their English and how they wrote it was very good."

Winning second prize for their graduate capstone project, a group of five girls from Zayed University, Dubai, were awarded for their innovative creation called 'Unleash'.

In a bid to foster creativity within the UAE, Aliah Al Shamsi, Noura Bin Kalban, Salama Khansaheb, Aliah Lootah and Khulood Al Atiyat have released 1,000 journals in the UAE with the aim of documenting the country at a specific time in history. The idea is for the little red journals to be passed around the nation randomly, to document the thoughts of the people in the UAE, residents and nationals.

"It feels good that we have been recognised and that people appreciate the project and think it is worthwhile winning a competition on a national level, so we are proud and happy," Khulood told Gulf News before the ceremony.

Mariam Abdullah Al Obaidly won first prize in the photography segment. "I entered the competition because my family encouraged me. They saw I am good at photography. I've been taking photos for a long time but I've never entered a competition," said Mariam.

Her winning entry was a photograph of a mosque framed by an arched wall. "I see things people haven't noticed. When it is photographed and they see it, they like it," she said.