Muscat – With the Royal blessings of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the Diwan of Royal Court has announced the launch of four major national awards aimed at recognising excellence across culture, innovation, the economy and development of governorates.
The awards are: His Majesty the Sultan’s Culture and Social Award, His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Research and Innovation, His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Economy, Business and Digital Excellence, and His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Governorates Development.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Ministry of Information on Sunday, Dr Habib Mohammed al Riyami, Chairman of Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science, said, “The name of each award clearly defines its target groups and fields,” while affirming that existing regional and international awards will continue unchanged, underscoring their role in enhancing Oman’s standing in regional and global forums.
He added that to ensure effective coordination, unified standards and enhanced institutional governance, overall supervision of the four awards has been entrusted to the Diwan of Royal Court. As part of this effort, a dedicated website will be launched, alongside a clear timeline for each award covering registration periods, announcement of results and award ceremonies. Specialised committees will also be formed for shortlisting and evaluation.
The value of His Majesty the Sultan’s Culture and Social Award is RO625,500, targeting individuals, civil society organisations and private sector entities. It includes volunteer work, youth excellence, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cultural recognition and educational excellence.
The His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Research and Innovation, valued at RO123,000, is open to individuals and institutions for recognition of the best published scientific research, best research institution, best student innovative idea, best patent and best startup institution.
The His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Economy, Business and Digital Excellence, worth total value of RO445,000, targets individuals and institutions for industrial excellence, entrepreneurship and digital excellence. It recognises achievements such as industrial leadership, local value-added practices, adoption of modern technologies, environmental and social responsibility, corporate governance, innovative entrepreneurship and digital transformation.
The His Majesty the Sultan’s Award for Governorates Development, valued at RO1.07mn, will be awarded biennially and targets governorates, institutions and individuals. It will honour the top-performing governorates and outstanding institutional and individual contributions to development.
