The Ministry of National Education announced that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in cooperation with the Al-Fozan Foundation for Community Service, is organizing the new session of the “UNESCO-Al-Fozan International Prize” for the year 2027, directed to the benefit of teachers of the three educational levels, and students of the intermediate and secondary education stages.
This award, according to Ministry Correspondence No. 364, aims to discover and nurture young talents, and to encourage research and innovation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, in a way that contributes to achieving sustainable development goals and consolidating a culture of scientific research and creativity among young people.
Accordingly, the Ministry called on its state departments to take optimal care of this process, and to work to sensitize teachers and students and encourage them to participate widely in this international award, while ensuring that the terms of participation, regulatory provisions, and specified deadlines are respected.
This award is the first of its kind under the auspices of UNESCO, and is specialized exclusively in supporting and honoring the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for the benefit of young people, as it represents an opportunity to enhance the education of these disciplines, conduct research in them, and disseminate their results widely throughout the world.
The award is directed to students in the middle and secondary education levels, and to teachers of the three educational levels, provided that the age of the candidate does not exceed 40 years when submitting the nomination file.
To accept nomination files for the “UNESCO-Al-Fozan International Award” for the year 2027, the project must be individual and original, and has not been previously submitted or participated in in previous sessions of the award, and must include a new and innovative solution that reflects the spirit of creativity and excellence, and fall within the scientific fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, including emerging and future technologies, or highlight distinguished contributions to spreading scientific culture, simplifying science, and developing its education.
The project must also have a tangible social or development impact, through its contribution to community service, environmental protection, and supporting the achievement of sustainable development goals. The nomination file must include supporting documents for the project, such as technical posters, a short video, and/or a presentation explaining the project’s objectives, stages, and results, provided that nomination files are sent exclusively via a special electronic link, no later than October 31, 2026.
Projects are required to focus on one of four areas, preferably related to sustainable development goals: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The project completion period starts from the end of June until October 2026, before the sending phase begins via the official link designated for this purpose, then the sorting and evaluation phase starting from the second week of November 2026.
At the international level, the screening and evaluation process takes place at the UNESCO level, through reviewing the files by an independent international arbitration committee, composed of senior scholars and experts in the fields of the competition.
UNESCO and the Al-Fouzan Foundation will announce the five international winners, and the award ceremony will be held during the year 2027, where the award will be given in each session to five prominent researchers, each of whom will win the title of the UNESCO-Al-Fouzan International Prize, in addition to a financial reward of 50 thousand US dollars, a certificate of appreciation, and an official diplomacy from UNESCO, in addition to a special medal of excellence for the award.
