AMMAN -- A panel of judges yesterday awarded the Third King Abdullah II Award for Creativity in the "Arab City" category to the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) for its role in promoting and supporting cultural activities.
The award, which is divided into the categories of art, science and the Arab city, is given every two years to municipalities, organisations and individuals with projects resulting in substantial national and societal advancement.
In this round of the award, the Arab city category was designated for Arab municipalities which demonstrated the greatest support for culture and cultural activities.
GAM received the award for its "Role of Culture" programme, under which the municipality has organised a variety of cultural projects and activities over the past three years.
"After careful deliberation on behalf of the judging panel, it was found that GAM's cultural projects outmatch any of those organised by the competing municipalities," said Abdur-Ra'uf S. Rawabdeh, president of the award's board of trustees.
According to the judging panel for this category, which consisted of professors, architects and engineers from Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, 15 projects were found to match the criteria for the award from municipalities in Palestine, Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Oman and Jordan.
GAM's "Role of Culture" programme was found to have the largest number of cultural projects, the heaviest participation in cultural affairs and the broadest scope of cultural projects which reached beyond the Kingdom's borders.
"During the deliberation, I was bewildered by the extent to which GAM's cultural projects exceed in quality those offered by any other municipality from the competing countries," commented Ahmad Madi, one of the members of the judging panel. "This decision was made based on facts and figures and in no way lacked objectivity."
The art category of the award was shared between artists George Bahjoury from Egypt and Nabil Anani from Palestine. The award was dedicated to plastic artists whose works target the socio-political atmosphere of the region with depth, variety and creativity.
"While a significant portion of the 48 artists who were found eligible to compete deserved the award, the works of Bahjoury and Anani were worthy of distinction," said Mahmoud Sadiq, one of the judges.
"Both artists have remarkable experience in the close examination of society, with Anani's intrinsic dedication to the Palestinian cause and Bahjouri's satirical depictions of society, both have managed to set examples for future aspirants."
Meanwhile, the judging panel decided to revoke the science award as none of the participants matched the required criteria.
"In this round the science category of the award was designated for exceptional water treatment and purification technology due to the increasing risk of drought in the region and the rising value of drinkable water," said Rawabdeh.
"Of the 15 participating projects, none were found to match the criteria established by the judging committee, and a decision was reached to eliminate the category."
"All participating projects either lacked applicability or failed to show substantial long-term benefits," commented Mohammad Shantawi, one of the judges for this category.
Winners will receive a certificate of testament, a golden emblem and a $25,000 grant. The date of the award ceremony has yet to be announced.
The King Abdullah II Award for Creativity was created in 2002 to celebrate the naming of Amman as the Cultural Capital of the Arab World. The award is considered one of the most significant and distinctive awarding bodies in the region.
By Jafar Irshaidat
© Jordan Times 2006
