Addressing the ceremony, Prince Khaled emphasized the importance of achieving excellence.

"We are living in an era which would not accept nothing less than excellence," he said and underscored Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's role in promoting excellence in all areas.

The prize for excellence in Haj and Umrah services went to the traffic department while the prize for administrative excellence was received by the Jeddah police. The prize for cultural excellence was won by Abdul Rahman Faqeeh Model Schools while the prize for architectural excellence went to the International Medical Center, Jeddah.

The Islamic Development Bank received the award for environmental excellence while Sara bint Abdullah Baghdadi won the prize for social excellence.

The prize for scientific and technological excellence was shared by students Bayan bint Muhammad Mushat and Mahmoud Muetaz Ghilman.