ABU DHABI: The third edition of the International Congress of Arabic Publishing and Creative Industries (Congress PCI) has introduced a new initiative, the Youth X Congress award, that aims to leverage technology to enrich Arabic learning and foster creative talent in arts, media, and poetry.
Congress PCI 2024 is held on Sunday, 28 April, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) under the theme ‘Technological Transformations in the Publishing Industry and Drivers of Change’. The award was debuted at the event as the UAE’s first youth entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship platform, aimed at providing the youth with a platform for innovative learning and encouraging creativity in the Arabic language and creative industries sector.
The Congress kickstarts the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) 2024, taking place from 29 April until 5 May at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Dr. Ali bin Tamim
, Chairman of the ALC, said: ‘In line with our mission at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre to advance the Arabic language and promote its use – particularly among the younger generations – the new Youth X Congress award initiative strives to empower youth and develop their capacities to come up with unconventional solutions for fostering a love of Arabic reading. The award encourages students to read more in Arabic, enhancing their proficiency and expanding their knowledge of the language. This, in turn, allows for preserving our cultural heritage and cultivating a sense of pride and belonging to the Arabic language and culture.’
‘In the long term, the award will have a significant impact towards youth empowerment, setting the conditions for deeper cultural and language appreciation among them, and laying the foundations for an interconnected Academic Ecosystem that facilitates the exchange of ideas and experiences,’ H.E. added.
The Youth X Congress award targets Arab youth between the ages of 18 and 39
and encourages them to submit their ideas. This includes students aged 18 to 21, creatives and entrepreneurs aged 21 to 30, Arabic-speaking students between the ages of 18 and 21, and Arabic-speaking creatives and entrepreneurs between the ages of 21 and 39.
The top 10 most innovative ideas will be selected to move forward, following a pitch competition where they are assessed based on judging criteria set by Unipreneur, namely, Creativity and Technological Innovation, Content Impact, and Feasibility and Scalability.
Finalists will each have three to four minutes to present their idea on stage at the Congress PCI 2024, after which a jury committee will deliberate and select the three winners.
Registration forms for the Youth X Congress award were sent to a range of universities and institutes across the UAE, including Sheraa Entrepreneurship Institute, Mohamed Bin Zayed University of AI (MBZAI), Khalifa University, NYUAD, Abu Dhabi University, UAE University, University of Sharjah, GEMS Modern Academy, Mid
dlesex University, Hub 71, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, University of Birmingham Dubai, Amity University Sharjah, University of Science, Ajman University, and University of Wollongong.
Source: Emirates News Agency