The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance announced the call for nomination for the 2nd Edition of Hamdan– ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Education Facilities in the Islamic World Countries (2020-2021), dedicated to countering the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this occasion, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, reaffirmed ICESCO’s support to the projects and programmes which contribute to countering the repercussions of this crisis and its significant impact on the educational system by gearing efforts towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and promotion of innovation to serve education.

On his part, Dr. Jamal al-Mehairi, Vice-Chair of the Prize’s Board of Trustees, Secretary-General of Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, stated: “Hamdan Foundation is proud of its partnership with ICESCO in this Prize. The Foundation is committed to achieving the Prize’s objectives and encouraging voluntary work in the establishment and development of educational facilities. It is also keen on cooperating in creating opportunities to serve the education and promote its value in societies across the Islamic world”.

The Prize is awarded biennially to three winners from among individuals or institutions having contributed to developing education institutions in Islamic world countries. The value of the Prize stands at US$300,000. Each winner receives a shield and a reward of US$100,000, which will go to charity work, especially the development of educational facilities.

Individuals, charities, voluntary institutions, and donors can apply for the Prize through the website of Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance via the link below: http://ha.ae/en/icesco

To be eligible for the Prize, the programmes or projects should have made a significant contribution to the development of educational facilities in Muslim countries in line with ICESCO’s principles and objectives in this field. To this end, applicants should explain the nature of the educational facilities such as building, developing or equipping schools or institutes, offering noticeable and concrete charity services to support and develop educational facilities, and efficiently contributing to the establishment and development of projects in the field of distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as contributing to the continuity of the educational process during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the programmes or projects should have at least a three-year experience to assess their outcomes and verify their effectiveness. However, this condition does not apply to the programmes or projects which support the global trend in the field of distance learning, and education in compelling circumstances.
Applicants can either choose self-nomination by filling in and submitting the nomination form after approval or through the recommendation of a third party by filling in and submitting the nomination form after approval. The Foundation announced that the nomination deadline is 17 December 2020. Applications should be sent to the following email: Hamdan.icesco.prize@ha.ae

You can follow and interact with the updates of the Prize on ICESCO’s official page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ICESCO.En/
Or through the official page of Hamdan Foundation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoundationHBR/