About the Award

The Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award is an independent award that is not subject to the judging criteria of the main award categories. The Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award is granted to a cultural, scientific or public personality or institution that has made a recognizable contribution to the Arab cultural scene. The winner is granted the award based on the final decision of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. This award was launched under the name of “The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award” during the second session (1990-1991) and was added to the previous award categories. It is usually granted to individuals or entities having undisputed scientific or cultural achievements, and aims at highlighting outstanding accomplishments in the fields of medicine, science, history, philosophy, economics, as well as political and military sciences, among others.

The monetary value of the Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award is US $120,000.00, and the total value of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Awards is US $600,000.00.

Bylaws of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award

Article 1:

The words and phrases listed below shall bear the following meanings:

  • The Board: The Board of Trustees of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation
  • The General Secretariat: The General Secretariat of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation
  • Bylaws: Bylaws of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation
  • The Award: The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Award for Scientific and Cultural Achievement

Article 2

The Award is presented every two years to significant Arab authors, thinkers, writers and scientists who have made positive contributions to Arab culture in the fields of literature, criticism, thought, philosophy, economics, political science, applied and pure sciences, medicine, pharmaceutics, the arts as well as the humanities. The winners should have made outstanding achievements that have helped establish or develop one or more of the abovementioned fields, and that have influenced contemporary life in the Arab world. The award may be presented to various Arab cultural or scientific institutions such as universities, institutes, colleges and research centers that have distinguishedly served the Arab nation and contributed to the development of art, literature and science in the Arab world.

Article 3

The monetary value of the award is US $ 120,000.00

Winners of the Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award are not eligible to be nominated in the other categories of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award; The Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award may be  awarded only once to each recipient.

Article 4

The General Secretariat shall announce the opening of nominations and the deadline for submissions for all categories of the Award mentioned in Article 2. Award nominations can be made by cultural and scientific organizations, and the Board of Trustees may also nominate eligible candidates in each session.

Nominations shall include a resume of the nominees, with details of their scholarly or cultural achievements (inventions, patents, artworks, etc.) and their various publications (books, researches, etc.). Nominated candidates shall write and include a nomination acceptance letter so that their nomination gets approved.

The General Secretariat reserves the right to request samples of the nominee’s work/achievements (whether they are publications, artworks or inventions) or any other relevant documents.

Article 5

The General Secretariat shall announce the opening of nominations and the deadline for submissions for all the fields mentioned in Article 2 herein. The General Secretariat may also select one of the aforementioned fields for nominations at the beginning of each session.

Articles 6

The General Secretariat shall review and study the nominations and present a report on the most eligible candidates to the Board.

The Board shall conduct a private meeting to select the winner from among the best nominated candidates within six months from the closing date for nominations. The General Secretariat shall announce the winner and the basis for selection.

The General Secretariat may seek an opinion on nominations from scholars and academic experts, whether through temporary advisory or technical committees, through ballots, by soliciting the help of universities, cultural or scientific centers, or through any other means it deems appropriate.

The winner of the Scientific and Cultural Achievement Award may only be selected from amongst the list of candidates nominated for the prize.

The Board may choose more than one winner in each session.

Article 7

Any article in the aforementioned bylaws that is found to be contradictory in any way to the Articles of Association is hereby deemed null and void.

The Board of Trustees may amend any regulation herein.*

* Approved by the Board of Trustees on November 23, 1994