Abu Dhabi: The registration process for the fourth edition of the Khalifa International Date Palm Awards (Kdpa) has now opened, award organisers announced on Wednesday.
There are five categories that applicants can submit their entries for, research and distinguished studies, distinguished producers, distinguished project, best developmental project and distinguished personality in the area of date palm cultivation and dates production.
"Since the award was launched, we have continued building a strong international presence and our efforts within the date palm industry have become acknowledged by our peers. That is evidenced by not only the number of regional and international applicants but also that our quarterly magazine has become a reference journal for experts in this industry," said Dr Helal Humaid Saeed Al Kaabi, member of the Award Board of Trustees, Head of the Administrative and Financial Committee.
The previous edition saw over 300 applicants from 24 countries submit entries, of which nine are chosen to receive certificates, awards and a total of Dh2.3m in prize money. The application deadline is October 30, 2011. Winning entries will then be announced in February 2012.
"In our third edition, we saw an 84 per cent increase in applicants for Kdpa, which is a great achievement considering it is still a very young award. As this award is the first of its kind in the world, we are proud of what is being achieved by participants in the context of Kdpa. An example of this is a project submitted by a previous participant on the possibility of cross-breeding different varieties of dates," said Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, the Secretary General of Khalifa International Date Palm Award.
The organisers also noted that this year, they had signed an agreement with a specialized media organisation to raise awareness about Kdpa through various online platforms.
"While the award is steadily gaining recognition outside the UAE, we hope that with this agreement, which will see information about Kdpa be presented in various social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as well as appearing in different search engines. Additionally, as in our third edition, we will also tour various countries in the region to continue raising awareness not only about the award but also about the innovative potential of the date palm industry," Zaid said.
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