A panel of judges evaluated 78 projects submitted by students participating in the seventh Sharjah Sustainability Award (SSA), which is organised by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA).

The projects were related to reducing the consumption of water and electricity; sustainable environmental applications; designing environmental models about the importance of conserving ghaf and acacia trees; creative writing in the form of a short story; and producing a short film about the causes, effects and environmental solutions to the problems associated with stray dogs and cats.

After evaluating the projects according to criteria specific to each category – Green School, Outstanding Student, Outstanding School and Outstanding Coordinator – the panel nominated 38 projects.

H.E. Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, EPAA Chairperson, said, “Held during the academic year, there are two categories to the Sharjah Sustainability Award: The first is for intermediate and secondary students at Sharjah’s public and private schools and schools throughout the UAE – schools from Fujairah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah participated; the second category is for students at Sharjah’s universities. On March 4th, 38 school projects were nominated for the finals, which will be held at the American University of Sharjah. The awards ceremony will be held in the theatre at Al Qasimia University.”

Mrs Al Suwaidi added, “For projects related to the consumption of water and electricity and sustainable environmental applications and green schools, there were two stages to the evaluation process. The panel reviewed all the information, evidence and images and then made a field visit to appraise the project’s implementation at the school. In addition, the panel conducted random interviews with students and staff supervising the project to ascertain their levels of awareness and their understanding of the project’s importance and to determine whether the project provided an environmental solution to an environmental problem at the school. The nominated projects were chosen based on the panel’s assessments and findings.”

The final round of judging for SSA-nominated schools will take place at the American University of Sharjah; all nominated schools will attend and present their projects to members of the panel. The students and teaching staff will be asked about their projects, and each project will be judged as per the final evaluation criteria.

All the participating schools and university students will attend the awards ceremony at Al Qasimia University. The winners will be presented with SSA trophies, Certificates of Excellence and cash prizes. The participating institutions will receive a Certificate of Appreciation and SSA trophies. The panel members will receive Certificates of Gratitude and Appreciation. The winning students from schools and from the University of Sharjah, the American University of Sharjah, Al Qasimia University and Skyline University College will be honoured at the ceremony.

Sharjah Sustainability Award’s primary aim is to promote partnerships in environmental actions as a key pillar in support of Sharjah’s aim of protecting environmental resources and conserving biodiversity; the inclusion of schools, universities and official institutions as environmental actors will contribute to the creation of a green environment within a sustainable framework. The Award also aims to involve all students and administrative and teaching staff at schools and universities to encourage the development of independent projects, ideas and activities that promote sustainable learning environments in line with international environmental standards. With the vision of creating a sustainable green environment, SSA’s mission is to promote competition among students to encourage them to create and implement sustainable solutions to pressing environmental problems and to enhance awareness about the importance of protecting the environment in the interest of sustainable development.