MUSCAT — The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) announced the launch of the Fifth Annual Design Competition. The competition, open to all students in their senior year of high school, is being launched in Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and this year in Pakistan.
High school students across the Middle East have been challenged to come up with the most imaginative idea for improving our living environment. This year’s competition, “If it was up to me,” gives students the opportunity to share their visions of what an ideal future would be like while considering ways to improve this area’s living environment.
Two entrants will win full four-year Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned Scholarships for Creativity at VCUQ and the top three high school students from each of the 12 countries will receive cash prizes of $1,400 for first place, $800 for second place and $600 for third place.
“The VCUQ Design Competition challenges talented students to explore using design to address meaningful issues of our times. We look forward to honouring students who submit the best work with cash prizes and two four-year scholarships to attend our university” added Dr Charles Bleick, VCUQ Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Siham Abduallah Al Zadjali from Oman was the 2003 winner of the competition. “Winning the Scholarship for Creativity has changed my life,” recalls second year VCUQ student Siham.
VCUQ’s Fifth Annual Design Competition is sponsored by Sasol Chevron who will provide the cash prizes. They are part of the world-leading alliance of companies developing new high performance, low emission gas to liquids diesel for the global transport fuels market.
Sasol Chevron’s Country Manager for Qatar, Pat Butcher said, “Sasol Chevron is delighted to be supporting VCUQ’s Fifth Annual Design Competition. A better, cleaner, future is at the heart of what we as a company are striving to deliver and to focus some of the best young creative talent in the region on that objective has got to be a good thing. The fact that the two best entrants will get to benefit from the opportunities that VCUQ can offer is a further incentive.”
Sasol Chevron joins DHL as competition sponsor. For the fifth year running, DHL is providing free shipping to regional students. DHL Country Manager David Wilson commented on DHL’s involvement, “DHL is pleased to support this scholarship programme, as we have for the past five years.”
All competition entries must be posted by 15 January 2007.
