Students from 10 GCC cities took part in the campaign by designing creative awareness campaign ideas for water conservation in the region.

The program aims to create awareness and reward young creative minds that want to make a difference to protect the environment.

“This is an introductory program to the competition, meaning there will be no judges at this point. The attendees will be students from different universities, including King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Effat University, CBA College, College of Nursing, and international schools,” Loulwah Al-Sudairy, a co-coordinator at the BMG Foundation, told Arab News.

“I thank Dr. Lamya Gazzaz, vice dean of student affairs at Dar Al-Hekma, for her support to this cause and I thank Dar Al-Hekma for hosting this event.”

The event was an introductory program explaining details of the GCC-wide contest. “We are calling on university students across the GCC to submit innovative campaigns. The deadline is April 30, after which projects will be forwarded to an international panel of judges,” Al-Sudairy said.

Participants from KAU presented on feasible projects from the media’s perspective. Dar Al-Hekma Graduates talked about “Naqa,” a social venture aimed at creating awareness about the environment during the event.

Manarat Schools contributed to the cause with their presentation called “Why Conserve?” The presentation highlighted the wastage of water by developed countries in contrast to lack of water in underdeveloped countries.

The winning idea will be implemented for six months all across the GCC from July to December 2012.

The program featured a brief history about BMG Foundation’s accomplishments in the East and West that aim to support credible charities and noble causes such as water conservation.

It also featured a documentary showcasing global figures highlighting the severity of the issue. This was followed by discussion about the competition’s foundation and online submission procedures.

Bader Saleh, a Saudi comedian, spoke about the campaign and is helping BMG Foundation with the initiative.

Young students from Jeddah Prep School recited a “Save Our Water” poem in five different languages, including English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, French and Malay.

Students were called upon to submit their ideas and projects through www.bmgfoundation.com. All participants can create an account on the submission portal for their groups and upload their projects, which will then be voted for.

The deadline is April 30, after which an international panel of judges will review the top 10 highest ranked submissions.

Jeddah was the third city on the BMG Foundation GCC university tour. The tour will take place in 10 different GCC cities including Riyadh, Alkhobar, Kuwait City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Manama, Doha and Muscat.

The winners will be flown to the United Kingdom and honored during the prestigious GCC Polo Cup on June 20 at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor and will be awarded an internship at a multinational company in the GCC.

The second and third place runners-up will also be awarded a special internship opportunity at a multinational company.