Doha: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs on Wednesday announced the winners of the current edition of the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al-Thani Endowment Award, in both its international and local categories.
According to Qatar News Agency, speaking at a press conference held for the occasion, Assistant Director of the Research and Studies Department at the Ministry, Mishari Ali Al Namlan, stated that the Award's international category was awarded to Dr. Ahmed Dib from Algeria and Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Yahya from Yemen, with each receiving QAR 100,000.
The local category prize, amounting to QAR 200,000, was awarded to Qatari researcher Ahmed Muejab Deraa Al Dosari, who is involved in guidance and counseling at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Al Namlan added.
Al Namlan noted that this edition of the Award witnessed broad participation, with over 70 researchers from 16 countries competing in the international category, while nine researchers participated in the local category.
He further explained that the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al-Thani Endowment Award, comprising international, local, and imam categories, has significantly contributed to Arabic and Islamic scholarship through high-quality academic research, including those submissions that did not win.
The objective of the Award is to foster scholarly research and prepare a new generation of researchers and specialists in Islamic sciences. Al Namlan highlighted that this is Qatar's first and largest peer-reviewed endowment award dedicated to culture, Islamic outreach (da'wah), and Islamic thought.
He also mentioned that the imams category is specifically for imams, preachers, and muezzins working for the Ministry.
Starting from 2029, the total prize value across all three categories will be increased to QAR 1.1 million, with each category having three winners. This change aims to broaden participation and encourage research in Islamic thought and contemporary issues, Al Namlan emphasized.
Al Namlan also underscored the extensive scholarly output generated by the Award over its three decades of existence.