São Paulo – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates have opened the registration of interest for the 2021 Al Burda Award, a prize committed to supporting, preserving and celebrating the Islamic arts in their various forms and contents. The Al Burda Award includes four main categories: Ornamentation, classical and modern calligraphy, classical Arabic poetry, and Arabic typography. Learn more about the categories on the award’s website.
The award will give cash prizes to the top four to ten places, depending on the category. The first place in each category will receive AED 70,000 (USD 19,000 at the current rate).
Registration can be made on the award’s website until June 17. Artists from all over the world can participate in the 16th edition of the award, which will be presented during the Al Burda Festival to be held in December during the Expo Dubai 2020. The event’s program will include debates, workshops and art exhibitions about the future of Islamic arts and culture.
For the minister of Culture and Youth of the UAE, Noura Al Kaabi, Al Burda is more than an award. “It is a noble message of principles consistent with the timing of its release, the memory of the Prophet Muhammad, and what it means for mutual tolerance and coexistence of all civilizations,” she said in a statement.
In a message on the award’s website, the UAE minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, says that the Award reinforces the key role of the UAE in supporting Islamic art through its efforts to preserve the artistic heritage of the Islamic civilization and promote outstanding artworks to a global audience.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
