Dubai: Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Supreme President of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, honoured winners of the first edition of the “Excellence and Creative Engineering Award” during a ceremony held at the Cultural & Scientific Association in Dubai, on Wednesday.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum also received the Leading Personality Award on behalf of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in recognition of his accomplishments and initiatives.

The ceremony of the debut edition was attended by Engineer Abdulla Yousef Al Ali, President of the Society of Engineers; Rashad Bukhash, Chairman of the Award's Higher Committee; the award's board members, as well as senior officials and engineering employees from the private and public sectors.

The awarding ceremony was also attended by participants comprising individuals and company representatives, in addition to the award's sponsors and partners, including Dubai South, Dubai Municipality's Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency, UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology, Gulf Construction magazine, Construction Business News Middle East, and media representatives.

The ceremony began with playing the National Anthem followed by a short film highlighting the launch of the award.

During his keynote speech, Engineer Abdulla Yousef Al Ali thanked Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Supreme President of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance for his patronage of the award and unwavering support, noting that such efforts will contribute to promoting a culture of excellence and enhance Emirati leadership in the engineering sector.

Al Ali stressed that the award, launched under the directive of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is aimed at nurturing and supporting a culture of creativity, innovation and competitiveness in engineering and design, in line with the country's developmental march.

The president lauded the efforts of the award's participants, pointing out that the submissions included creative designs that raised the competitiveness levels in the inaugural edition. At the end of his speech, he congratulated the award winners and participants.

Competencies and capabilities

For his part, Rashad Bukhash, Chairman of the Award's Higher Committee, said: "Since its inception, the association has made great strides to achieve the vision of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and worked tirelessly to develop a clear road map that included conducting  meetings and establishing a supreme committee to set the objectives and categories of the award, in addition to forming an independent jury committee comprising members with extensive knowledge and experience in various engineering fields.”

Bukhash congratulated the winners noting that the award received more than 333 applicants comprising citizens and residents, stressing that the number is a clear indicator of the traction and success of the inaugural edition.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Supreme President of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance accompanied by Al Ali, honoured winners of the award's two main categories and eight sub-categories that recognise distinguished institutions and individuals.

Under its "Institutions" category, engineering offices, institutions, companies and public departments competed in the "Pioneering Engineering Project Award" dedicated to the best engineering project in any engineering field, the "Best Construction Company Award", "Best Engineering Services or Consultancy Company' and the award of "Best Industrial Company/Corporation."

Participants in the Individuals category competed for the Leading Personnel Award, Engineer of the Future Award, Outstanding Engineer Award, and Outstanding Student Award granted to three distinguished engineering students at accredited educational institutions.

Al Ali also honoured the award's strategic partners, including Dubai South, Dubai Municipality, UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology, and Construction Business News Middle East.

The closing ceremony also included the screening of a short film highlighting the achievements and legacy of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, his contributions to the education and sports sectors, and humanitarian efforts.

At the end of the ceremony, Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Supreme President of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, received an honorary membership to the UAE Society of Engineers.

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