SHARJAH: The ‘Sheikh Sultan Award for Celebrating the Spirit of Youth’ (SSA) continues to inspire ambitious young talents among citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates, motivating them to take on unique challenges that instill in them a culture of continuous learning and lead them to success and brilliance in the future. They announced the opening of registrations for participation in its fifth cycle starting September 1, 2024.
The award receives entries from adolescents and youth between the ages of 13 
and 18 years of both genders, across three levels: gold, silver, and bronze. The participants will complete challenges in the award’s four categories: adventure, volunteering, skills, and physical activities. To compete for the gold medal, participants must complete all four sections. For the silver medal, three sections are required, while the bronze medal necessitates completing only the volunteering and adventure sections.
Since its launch in 2019, under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the award seeks to hone the talents and skills of the new generations in many non-academic fields and enhance their will and self-confidence within a stimulating system based on the principles of self-challenge, continuous learning, and unleashing passion and latent energies.
Aziza Ibrahim Al Maazmi, Director of the Sheikh Sultan Award for Celebrating the Spirit of Youth, said: “We are proud of what the award has achieved over the past four cycles, during which we have witnessed many of our young creative talents blossom and shine, as we have celebrated their efforts year after year. We look forward to creating new opportunities in the fifth cycle by attracting a greater number of young participants from across the Emirates, in cooperation with our main partners who played a major role in the success of the award and achieving its goals in its previous cycles.”
She added: “We realise that youth are the pillar of progress and development in any society, and it is essential to provide a supportive environment that allows them to grow mentally and physically in an integrated manner. By encouraging them to discover their talents and strengths, and helping them to refine and develop these qualities, we enable them to excel in their fields and effectively assume their responsibilities. This is what the award aims to achieve building bridges between youth and their passions. It supports them in rising to levels that align with the aspirations of the Emirate of Sharjah in particular, and the UAE in general.”
The Sheikh Sultan Award for Celebrating the Spirit of Youth has succeeded, through its previous cycles, in spreading its message of inculcating a set of positive and noble values in the souls of young people, which are: initiative, giving, tolerance, taking responsibility, accepting, appreciating others, cooperation, and partnership. These are fundamental values that contribute to strengthening community cohesion and form the basis for joint work to enhance the progress and development in society. The award calls on young people and citizens as well as residents from all emirates of the country to register for its fifth cycle through the award’s official website www.sheikhsultanaward.ae and submit their applications before May 1, 2025.
