RIYADH — Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Farhan announced the "National Cultural Prize" Initiative to celebrate the accomplishments of creative Saudis in all the 16 major cultural sectors mentioned by the ministry in its vision and policy document. The prizes will be awarded annually according to evaluation by committees of judges comprising experts. Prince Badr said: "The national cultural prizes are an expression of the degree of appreciation by the Ministry of Culture and the nation in general for the great contributions by creative Saudis in all the cultural sectors and their role in the growth of awareness and knowledge." The minister stressed that the prizes will be a means for supporting and encouraging national talents and raising the standards for cultural production to higher levels. The prizes will be distributed among four tracks — Pioneers, Culture for the Youth, and Cultural Institutions prizes, in addition to the fourth track, which comprises 11 prizes covering all the cultural sectors. The Pioneers Prize will be awarded to the "Cultural Personality of the Year" in honor of one of the pioneers who have served the cultural trends in the Kingdom, according to specific criteria. Meanwhile, the "Culture for the Youth Prize" will be granted to a rising talent that is excelling in any cultural sector. The "Cultural Institutions" Prize will be awarded to distinctive cultural projects that have contributed to enriching the Saudi cultural content. As to the 11 remaining cultural prizes, they will be awarded to distinguished Saudis in several cultural fields including the Films and Visual Shows Prize, Fashion Prize, Music Prize, National Heritage Prize, Literature Prize, Theater and Performance Arts Show Prize, Visual Arts Prize, Architecture and Design Arts Prize, Culinary Arts Prize, Publication Prize, and Translation Prize. Among the winners for these prizes, those of two prizes — Pioneers and Culture for the Youth — will be awarded the prizes, according to nomination by the concerned judges committees. Meanwhile, the rest of the prizes will be available to all intellectuals and creative persons in all the cultural sectors. The Ministry of Culture is scheduled to open the door for registration and participation in the first round of the prize, in the first quarter of 2020, in line with a specific mechanism.
