World competition for design, launched from Damascus
Syria-Regional, Local, 11/28/2005

The 4th international annual competition for design, announced by the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, titled "Prove your presence...Show Innovation Now," was launched on Sunday in Damascus.

The event was held in collaboration with the Syrian ministry of education. The contest was announced in a news conference by officials of the university at Damascus Sheraton Hotel in the presence of the press.

Assistant Rector for Academic Affairs at the University, Charles F. Blake, said the competition, for women holding Secondary School Certificate, has been launch simultaneously in Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Syria.

He added the competition is a simple and expressive project of six artistic paintings with captions of them. The deadlines for free sending of the contributions is 15 January 2005, directly to the University headquarters in Qatar by DHL. The names of winners will be announced in March: Financial rewards for the first three winners, and two 4-year scholarships at the University in Qatar, including schooling and accommodation.

Three Syrian female students won the 3rd annual competition in 2004. In a statement to ArabicNews.com, Blake said that the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) financed by the Qatar foundation for Education, Science and community development is a branch of Virginia Commonwealth University, a leading American university with a prestigious and accomplished school of the arts.

He added that the Qatar foundation for education, science and community development, a private non- profit institute, was founded in Qatar in 1995, through the support of his highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, Emir of the state of Qatar. It is her Highness Sheikha Mosa Bint Nasser al-Missned's, chairperson of the foundation, faith in the power of education that promoted her to mold what is today Education city, 4 additional branch campuses from leading American institutions have joined the university: Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A & M University, Carnegie Mellon University and Georgetown University.

He added that for 2005 the VCUQ Design Competition has been generously sponsored by Sabban Property Investments (SPI) which is one of the Gulf's leading property investment companies.

Outlining the phases of the competition, Blake said that at the end of the first phase of the competition January 15, 2006, three participants from each of the eleven countries will be chosen as semi finalists, they will be awarded with cash prize, generously donated by Sabban Property Investments. Those three winners will be then proceed to the second phase of the competition, in which two participants have the opportunity to be awarded with complete scholarships to attend the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.

He added that the scholarships on offer have most generously been provided by Chairperson of Qatar foundation, Her Highness Sheikha Mosa Bin Nasser.

He concluded by saying that all projects will be judged by an international panel composed of artists, design professional, faculty members and government representatives.

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