by Pierre Balanian

It is the most prestigious form of recognition in the Middle East, awarded without any sort of discrimination in both humanistic and scientific fields. In recent years, it has been won by some scientists who have gone on to win the Nobel.

Riyadh (AsiaNews) - The secretary of the prestigious international 'King Faisal' prize, created in 1976 in honour of the son of the founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has just announced the topics that will be at the centre of the 2009 edition.  It is the most important and eagerly anticipated prize of the Middle East and Gulf countries.

So far, 175 scientists and scholars from 38 countries have won the prize.  In 2001, four winners of the Nobel Prize in physics and chemistry had previously been recognised by the King Faisal Foundation.  In each category, the prize consists of a manuscript certificate in Arabic lettering, a gold medal weighing two hundred grams, and a 200,000 dollar cash prize.

The King Faisal Foundation is active in the promotion of research and studies on civilisations and in giving proper recognition to men and women who have contributed through their inventions and work to bringing benefits to humanity.  The nominations are open to all, without any discrimination, in various sectors, both scientific - medical research, physics, mathematics, biology - and humanistic - literature and Islamic studies.

The nominations must be submitted by May 1st, 2008, and will be analysed by a jury composed of prominent figures and specialists from all over the world.

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