Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister - may ,d protect him -, the Ministry of Culture honored the winners of the "National Cultural Awards" initiative in its second edition, in a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Culture on Friday evening, September 9, in the JAX district in historic Diriyah, in the presence of a large gathering of cultural leaders, intellectuals, writers and media professionals.

His Excellency the Vice Minister of Culture, Mr. Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, delivered a speech on behalf of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture, which read: "I am pleased to welcome you to the capital of culture, the beacon of knowledge, and the oasis of arts, in a cultural celebration in which we honor creators, with great support from my master the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - may ,d protect him -, and under the generous patronage of His Highness my master the Crown Prince - may ,d protect him -, the supporter, enabler and inspirer of our cultural system," adding: "The historical depth and cultural heritage of our country and the creativity of its people have placed the Kingdom in an advanced cultural position, which enabled the Ministry of Culture to highlight our creative treasures with sustainable work, according to a vision and plans emanating from the Kingdom's Vision 2030," noting that based on that ancient cultural heritage, the National Cultural Awards initiative came to be a source of inspiration for creators, and a basic pillar for advancing cultural and knowledge development towards further progress.

The ceremony witnessed the announcement of the creation of an international award in the next edition of the National Cultural Awards initiative under the name "International Cultural Excellence Award" which will be dedicated to celebrating international and regional cultural figures and institutions that enrich the cultural scene in various fields, in a message of appreciation to everyone who persevered, worked hard and contributed to the cultural sectors, and confirms the Kingdom's determination to open new outlets for creativity and cultural expression, and to encourage cultural dialogue with the world.

This was followed by the distribution of awards, where Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Sabil, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue and Secretary-General of the King Faisal International Prize, won the "Cultural Personality of the Year" award in appreciation of his rich literary and cultural career, and his responsibilities in cultural administration, in which he held a number of leadership and academic positions through which he served Saudi culture, intellectuals and writers, including Editor-in-Chief of the Arabic Magazine, and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Information for Cultural Affairs, in addition to assuming responsibility for supervising the Riyadh International Book Fair previously. He also contributed as a researcher and literary thinker to the publication of several researches and books, including "Poeticization between Politics and Poetry," and "The Genesis Stage in the Saudi Novel."

While writer and film director Bader Al-Hamoud won the "Cultural Award for Youth" in appreciation of his efforts in filmmaking, publishing and translation initiatives, and technical projects. He founded the "Manaverse" Center for Innovation and Development, which is the first center of its kind in the world that allows the circulation and publication of cultural products in an interactive manner. He also founded the "Maana" electronic platform interested in publishing cognitive, artistic and philosophical content, in addition to his management of a project to translate 30 books in the field of philosophy and human sciences.

The winners of the cultural sector awards were also honored, as writer Kifah Bu Ali won first place in the Literature Award, "Jarir Bookstore" in the Publishing Award, poet and translator Dr. Sharif Baqna in the Translation Award, designer Dr. Samira Al-Otaibi in the Fashion Award, researcher in drawings and inscriptions Ahmed Al-Nughaither in the National Heritage Award, and chef Abdul Samad Al-Hawsawi in the Culinary Arts Award.

Artist Muhannad Shono won the Visual Arts Award, writer, actor and director Ali Khabrani in the Theater and Performing Arts Award, musician Bandar bin Obaid in the Music Award, producer and distributor Faisal Baltyour in the Film Award, and Engineer Mohammed bin Ibrahim Shafi in the Architecture and Design Award.

At the level of the Cultural Institutions Award, distributed over three tracks, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority won the Cultural Institutions Award in the ,vernment sector track, while the Misk Art Institute won the Cultural Institutions Award in the non-profit sector track, and the Music House Institute for Training won the Cultural Institutions Award in the private sector track.

The ceremony comes to conclude the work of the second edition of the "National Cultural Awards" initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture in 2020 with the support of the Quality of Life Program - one of the programs for achieving the Kingdom's Vision 2030 -; to celebrate the cultural achievements, contributions and productions of Saudi male and female intellectuals in various paths of cultural activity in the Kingdom, out of belief in the importance of honoring in driving the wheel of local cultural production, and creating competitive cultural atmospheres that contribute to enriching cultural content and its diversity.