KUWAIT: His Highness Sheikh Salem Al Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Award held an exhibition entitled "The Journey of the Award" to showcase 20 years of achievements and in honor of late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The exhibition was held parallel to the Informatics Award ceremony on June 27 at Bayan Palace.

"The exhibition honors the noble stances of late Emir of Kuwait who had blessed us with his generous patronage for 14 years with his wisdom, continuous guidance and support and his presence in most of the award ceremonies... He deserves from us all honor, appreciation and reverence," said Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Award, Sheikha Ayda Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, adding that Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was visually represented throughout the exhibition.

Speaking at the event, she said that the exhibition is a living witness to the Informatics Award's national, Arab and international impact and role in preparing for a developed technical society that Arab countries feel the urgent need for. Visitors of the exhibition, which was divided into five pavilions, noted the award's important accomplishments to date as well as its aspirations for more advancement in the field of information technology and digital applications.

"The Journey" further reflected the award's activities on a global level, such as the Informatics Medal which were received by international individuals and entities. Honoring the late Emir of Kuwait with the 2020 Informatics Medal attests to its importance, as His Highness was considered an exceptional worldwide figure and a unique humanitarian leader, who effectively supported the digital transformation of the State of Kuwait.

The Informatics Medal was also awarded to dignitaries and organizations that made a difference in the world, such as Bill Gates, who is the pioneer of innovations that launched the communications revolution and introduced computers to the world. The medal was also given to the great African and Arab electronics scientist Dr Belgacem Haba, as well as the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Smart Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for its leadership in keeping pace with digital transformations, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the most famous and largest institute for the production of innovative technologies in the world.

At the Informatics Prizes pavilion, the impressive technical projects of the award, throughout its 20-year history of uninterrupted award-giving, were showcased. The projects showcased are websites, smart applications and technical systems that were invented by individuals, government and private agencies and civil societies of most Arab countries. Visitors were able to listen to a detailed explanation of each of the projects that won the Informatics Prize in its 20th edition.

At the "Shift (See) Kuwait" section, visitors were able to interactively learn about the country and all aspects of Kuwaiti life and people. Furthermore, the Informatics Academy pavilion showcased the technical and educational free courses provided to Kuwait's youth, which taught them the basics of digital manufacturing and enabled them to invent smart projects that offer important services to the community.

The Global Informatics Forum pavilion also revealed the participation of scientists from all over the world and highlighted the latest smart inventions of the digital mind, their dialogues and recommendations. Moreover, the Awareness and Cultural Activities pavilion attracted visitors because of the vitality of the topics it presented in the eight discussion boards, the six informational bureaus held by the award, the hosting of senior specialists and those interested in information affairs, and the cultural activities hosted by the award pavilion at the Kuwait International Book Fair for three consecutive years.

The pictures of the award's 486 volunteers from 21 countries were also showcased at the exhibition. The Informatics Award relied heavily on the efforts of local and regional volunteers who contributed in substantially making Kuwait and region stronger in the digital industry.

Last Monday's event further celebrated the winners of the 20th Edition of Informatics Award which are:

The Kingdom of Bahrain

* The General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior for its project Traffic Services, represented by Director General of Traffic, Brigadier General Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulwahab Al Khalifa.

* The Ministry of Education for its project Electronic Education Portal, represented by Dr Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Education.

The Sultanate of Oman

* The Ministry of Health for its project Trassud+ represented by Dr Fatma bint Mohammed al Ajmi, Undersecretary for Administrative, Financial and Planning Affairs in MoH.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

* The Communications and Information Technology Commission for its project Platform for Delivery Applications via Electronic Platforms represented by Deputy Governor Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Jarbou.

* The Saudi Red Crescent Authority for its project Asefeni represented by Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Rasheed

The State of Kuwait

* The Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT), in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Zain, for its project Shlonik, represented by The Director General CAIT, Haya Ahmed Al Wadani.

* The Public Institution for Social Security for its project Insurances Dhukhr (treasure), represented by General Manager Mishaal Abdulaziz Al Othman.

* Jif Company for the design and management of websites for its project Jif, represented by Ahmed Nader Marafie.

* Fanajeen General Trading Company for its project Fanajeen, represented by partner and founder Abdulaziz Adnan Al Shalfan.