RIYADH, 7 March — The King Faisal International Prize for this year will be presented to its winners at a ceremony here Saturday, sources at the King Faisal Foundation said.
They said Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, will give away the prestigious prizes at a function to be attended by prominent personalities. The total prize money is SR3.75 million ($1 million), where each winner will receive $200,000 in cash in addition to a 200-gram, 22-carat gold medallion and a certificate summarizing the winner’s work.
The 25-year-old prize is granted annually to scholars and scientists who make significant contributions toward the spread of Islam and welfare of Muslims, Arabic literature, medicine and science.
This year’s prize for service to Islam will be received by Sheikh Sultan ibn Muhammad Al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah. As a devoted Muslim leader and philanthropist, Sheikh Sultan has fostered numerous educational, social, healthcare, and housing projects that have benefited Muslim communities across the world.
The names of the winners were announced last November by Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, director general of the foundation.
Professor Yuri Manin, a Russian and director of the Max-Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, shares the prize for science (mathematics) with American Dr. Peter Williston Shor, a member of the research staff at the Shannon Research Laboratory in the United States.
The prize for medicine (topic: pathophysiology of chronic heart failure) has been jointly awarded to Professor Finn Waagstein, a Swedish professor of cardiology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden, and Professor Eugene Braunwald, an American professor of cardiology, Harvard Medical School.
Professor Waagstein was the first investigator to discover the potential benefit of beta-adrenergic-blocking agents in congestive heart failure. His pursuit of his belief in the beta-blockers led to a landmark mortality trial. His contribution is the greatest recent breakthrough in heart failure therapeutics.
In recognition for their outstanding contributions to the study of contemporary Palestinian literature, the prize for Arabic literature has been awarded to Professor Husamuddin Al-Khateeb, a Syrian professor of Arabic literature, Damascus University, and to Professor Husni Mahmoud Hussain (Jordanian), professor of Arabic literature, Al-Yarmouk University, Jordan.
After careful review, the selection committee for Islamic studies (topic: objectives of Islamic jurisprudence) has concluded that none of the nominated works has met the requirements of the prize.
The King Faisal International Prize ranks prominently among the most prestigious international awards.
The King Faisal Foundation was established by the late King Faisal’s sons to commemorate their father’s efforts in the service of Muslims, and for reviving Islamic heritage and promoting the development of humanity.
Besides awarding the King Faisal Prize, the foundation carries out humanitarian activities including charity work, investment projects, scholarships and health projects in more than 29 countries across the world.
