CAIRO - The Sheikh Salem Al Ali Informatics Award board of trustees has announced the winners of the tenth round of the largest annual informatics prize in the region, valued at over 100,000 Kuwaiti dinars, ($375,000). The announcement was made at a press conference held by the award manager Khalil Abul in Kuwait city. The winners included 14 participants from seven different Arab countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Qatar, and Oman. Abul stated that the awards will be handed out during a ceremony to be held next month. “I would like to congratulate the winners and wish tough luck to the participants who did not make it in our bronze jubilee,” Abul said, noting that the award should serve as a motivation towards a future filled with success and prosperity. Abul pointed out that awards were withheld in three fields this year for not being up to the competition's standards, reaffirming the evaluation committee's commitment to the award's criteria and its transparent, objective, and accurate mechanism. The jury comprises 90 experts divided into three evaluation and 20 arbitration teams from several educational institutions such as Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait University, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Society of Engineers, Kuwait Society for Information Technology, Teachers Association, Historical Society, Economic Society and the Association of Accountants and Auditors. Kuwaiti winners were Abdel Rahman Mudhi Al Shamari for the best informatics project, Al Najah Charity Organisation for the best development project, Kuwait Finance House for the best commercial project, Awqaf Public Foundation for the best service project, Computer Engineering Department at Kuwait University for the best educational project, in addition to Omar Sulieman Shams Aldein for the best health project and Husein Mahmoud Al Bustan for the best cell phone programmes and applications. Winners from Arab World were Amer Mohamed Jammal Al Tabakhi from Jordan for the best informatics project, Omani Environmental Society for the best development project, Al Rayan Bank in Qatar for the best commercial project, Saudi General Organisation for Social Insurance for the best service project in addition to Rudwan Ghazal Fareed Ghazal and Ghasan Hamzi Jansees from Syria for the best health project and best media project respectively. Salem Al Ali's award is considered developmental methodology in the field of informatics and digital culture and is an independent, non-profit award. The award has been established in 2001 under the patronage and support of Sheikh Salem Ali Al Sabah, the President of Kuwait's National Guard.
