A sense of social responsibility was what motivated Shoorq Al-Mahmoud to launch “Pallamano”.

"The objective of the event is to serve Saudi society and to maintain ongoing development of new talents," said Al-Mahmoud, who is the general manager of events company Atoz.

The competition, which is supervised and judged by a panel of women from the business, academic and fashion communities, aims to encourage and nurture girls who have designing talents, according to Al-Mahmoud.

Many ambitious young Saudi girls have applied to participate in the competition, although Al-Mahmoud admits that marketing efforts were not as intense as it could have been. Only seven girls were chosen as semi-finalists and will be judged across three categories.

They include a category for a design inspired by Islamic decorations, one inspired by Islamic antiquities, and a free design. The designs will be judged taking into account the idea, implementation, the choice of material and colors, and how well each contestant adheres to the judges’ criteria.

"The contestants are all amateurs, and only one winner will be chosen in each category to receive an award,” said Al-Mahmoud.

“Her project will then be adopted by the Al Me'awyah Fund, which will help set up her own business as well as showcase her designs at Harvey Nichols for the whole of Ramadan.”

He revealed that there would be another sub-competition called the “Queen of Creativity,” where other talents in the arts and crafts would be given the chance to give a presentation in front of another panel of professionals and businesswomen.

The winner will be given the opportunity to be trained and mentored.

The Pallamano event will also be accompanied by a gallery and a bazaar that offers another chance for other talented Saudi girls to exhibit their work.

"Pallamano aims to perform the great role of community service, which will allow the Kingdom to witness a new start in the fashion world and open up a new opportunity to develop emerging talents," said Al-Mahmoud.