Abu Dhabi: The third Tadweer Awareness Award for schools and universities was launched yesterday (Wednesday) by the organising committee.
The event, which aims to educate pupils about the importance of waste management, is open to school and university students from the private and public sector in Abu Dhabi. Participants are expected to produce an innovative piece promoting the reuse of waste.
“This award is about the future society of Abu Dhabi, the ones that are going to be producing the waste in Abu Dhabi,” Eisa Saif Al Qubaisi, Tadweer General Manager, told Gulf News.
“Through this award, we aim to raise environmental awareness among school and university students and cultivate a culture of waste reuse. Fostering a sense of social responsibility among students, this competition will encourage them to use their creativity and innovation to support Tadweer’s efforts in protecting environment for future generations, while promoting a healthy competitive spirit among students.”
The Tadweer Awareness Award was launched in 2013 and is in association with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Abu Dhabi Education Council.
Participants who have until November 30 to submit their entries will have a chance to win cash prizes totalling around Dh50,000. The competition will have 12 winners for the first, second and third prizes.
The competition is grouped into four categories — elementary school pupils (grades 3-6) can submit drawings; intermediate school pupils (grades 7-9) have to submit models which will be judged on their shape; and secondary school pupils (grades 10-11) have to submit photographs. University students are required to submit models made out of waste material.
Al Qubaisi said that the award had prompted children to involve and educate their parents on the subject of recycling waste. Speaking about his own personal experience he told Gulf News, “My son and my daughter come to me and ask me questions about waste reuse because of what they learnt in school. They then want to know how they can win the award. It is something that they look forward to participating in every year now.”
He added that the event had a positive effect on the community as it forced students to make products with their hands using what is considered to be waste. “We are looking at transferring that culture and mentality of something being waste into something that I can actually work with using my hands. Now this young generation is picking out of this waste the things that they think they can reuse.”
