Her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah (EPAA), witnessed Wednesday morning the closing ceremony of the 12th cycle of the Sharjah Sustainability Award (SSA), under the slogan (Together Towards a Sustainable Green Environment). The ceremony included honoring 30 winning projects in the categories of students, schools, and participating institutions.
The ceremony took place in Al Qasimia University, attended by students, their parents, school administrations, participating and supporting institutions’ representatives, jury members, and numerous employees of the EPAA.
Enhancing Partnership in Environmental Work
In her speech at the ceremony, Her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi emphasized that the Sharjah Sustainability Award achieves significant successes in enhancing the principle of partnership in environmental work, which is a fundamental pillar in supporting Sharjah’s strategic project aimed at protecting environmental resources and preserving biodiversity.
Continuous Development of the Award
She noted that the EPAA is keen on significantly expanding participation and inviting local and private institutions across the UAE to the award. This is achieved by developing the award categories and participation criteria, making the Sharjah Sustainability Award one of the most important and strongest awards in the UAE.
Rising Numbers
She explained that the 12th cycle of the award received 305 different projects from students, schools, and institutions. Specifically: 27 institutional projects, 103 projects implemented by schools’ students and teachers, and 138 universities students projects. The total number of participants reached 823 from various categories: (27) institutions, (334) students, (56) teachers, and (406) university students
This edition also distinguished itself by introducing a special category for institutions focused on "Environmental Innovativeness of Enterprises to Achieve Sustainability," which received 27 submissions from governmental institutions in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah. This underscores the pivotal role played by the governmental sector in sustainability practices and environmental concerns, aligning with their roles and principles of social responsibility.
Additional Expertise in the Judging Committee
Her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi noted that the award in its current cycle succeeded in expanding the scope of collaborating institutions in the process of judging the submissions. Representatives from 5 governmental and private institutions joined the judging panels for school and university projects, namely Sharjah Municipality, Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority, Emirates Publishers Association, UAE University, and Manchester International Academy. She expressed great appreciation for the diverse expertise of the new members, which spans sustainability, energy and emissions, sustainable design and construction, natural resource conservation, scientific research in sustainability, future energy and emissions, AI applications in sustainability and other domains, all of which add significant diversity and richness to the award’s outcomes.
For the first time, submissions were received from students of Higher Colleges of Technology across the country, along with increased submissions from students at UAE University and Abu Dhabi University.
Remarkable Student Engagement
The students accounted for the majority of the total submissions received from schools. In the categories of the Outstanding Student Award and the Outstanding Student Team Award, 334 students participated. Meanwhile, 142 public and private schools took part in the school category. The Outstanding Teacher Award category received submissions from 56 teachers.
Classification of Entries by Submitted Projects
In her speech, Hana Al Suwaidi pointed out that the total number of actual projects submitted by schools reached 140, of which 103 were submitted by students and individuals, representing 74% of the total number. These projects were distributed as follows: 37 short stories submitted in both Arabic and English, 17 films, and 49 sustainable environmental projects, as well as projects in artificial intelligence, innovation, and green schools. Additionally, 406 university students participated in the award, submitting 138 projects across the seven fields of the award.
Winners as Inspiring Models in Sustainability
She concluded her speech by congratulating all the winners, wishing them ongoing success and further excellence, considering them pioneering models for others in sustainability practices, efforts to protect the environment, and the preservation of biodiversity and natural resources.
Diversifying Evaluation Methods
It is worth noting that the award diversified the evaluation mechanisms for the school categories in its current cycle. The field of creative short story writing was evaluated for the finalists through virtual meetings conducted on the Zoom platform with students and the judging panel over two days, lasting three hours each day. An open exhibition was organized at the EPAA’s headquarters for the final evaluation of school projects, which included 20 projects across various award fields for the school category. A similar exhibition was organized at the University of Sharjah for the final evaluation stage of 35 projects submitted by university students.
Conclusion of the Ceremony
During the concluding ceremony, attendees watched a documentary film that chronicled the journey of the award and the results of its current cycle. They also listened to the speech of the judging committee, delivered by Dr Abdulla Al Sharhan from the Emirates Publishers Association.
List of Honorees
At the end of the ceremony, Her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah, honored 19 collaborating institutions and the members of the judging panel representing 18 governmental and private institutions. Furthermore, 30 winning projects in the three award categories were also honored.
