His Highness Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham bin Tarik al Said, has launched the Bilarab bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design in the Sultanate of Oman.
Launched with the blessings of His Majesty Haitham bin Tarik Al Said, Sultan of Oman, the award is aimed at Omani youth specializing in the domains of architecture and design, as well as scholars and job seekers who meet the competition’s requirements.
Ten contestants will qualify for the final stage of the competition. The prizes will be financial, where the first place winner will receive a sum of $51,947, while the second place will receive $38,960 and the third place winner will get $25,974. Seven finalists will win in-kind prizes.
The award is in line with Oman Vision 2040 and the Sultanate’s ambitions to develop its diverse areas architecturally according to their geographical context and civilizational identity. Furthermore, it is in line with global developments in the fields of architecture and design.
It aims to facilitate and create one-of-a-kind architectural projects in specific locations of the Sultanate that merge originality and modern elements that can be adopted on the ground. The award seeks to leverage the environmental and terrain diversity of the various governorates, where different themes would be presented in the architectural design targeting annually a specific architectural theme and a specific region or governorate.
HH Sayyid Bilarab said that “The competition perhaps is one of the most appropriate ways to invest and empower the capabilities of young people in this aspect. It may also be a gateway for them to cross into the future with more creative ideas and aspirations, and this creativity we hope will be reflected on the ground.”
The award bears the slogan ‘Towards an innovative and contemporary Omani architectural style’. While embracing the goals related to the local community, and empowering and developing the capabilities of youth, through the outputs and developmental visions, the award will provide, whether for existing projects or creating new ones.
