Dr. Abdullah Dahlan Award for the Environment

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Introduction

The Dr. Abdullah Dahlan Award for the Environment is a distinguished recognition dedicated exclusively to the students University of Prince Mugrin bin Abdulaziz (UPM). This award underscores UPM’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of environmental innovators and responsible leaders by challenging students to address some of the most pressing ecological issues of our time. At the core of the award is the Hackathon for Environmental Solutions, an annual event designed to engage students in a dynamic, collaborative, and high-impact learning experience. The hackathon provides a structured yet creative environment in which student teams develop innovative, practical, and scalable solutions to real-world environmental problems. Through this initiative, UPM aims to foster a culture of sustainability, creativity, and scientific inquiry across all disciplines.

Award Objectives

  • Encourage Environmental Leadership: provide a platform for students to showcase their skills, knowledge, and leadership in environmental protection.
  • Enhance Awareness: foster understanding of sustainability’s importance in personal and professional contexts.
  • Encourage Research & Innovation: inspire impactful sustainability-focused research and projects.
  • Celebrate Excellence: recognize outstanding contributions to sustainability.

Award Committee

  • Prof. Omar Tayan, Acting Dean for Scientific Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies, UPM (Supervisor)
  • Dr. Basma Alzain, Head of Innovation Center, University of Business & Technology (External Collaborator & Member)
  • Dr. Adnan AbiSen, FT Researcher, UPM (Member)
  • Dr. Abdulaziz Hammouri, FT Senior Researcher, UPM (Member)
  • Ms. Lamia Ghamri, Entrepreneurship Specialist (Member)
  • Eng. Mohammed Belayat Hussein, Research Asst, UPM (Former CEO of Encoder Ltd, Japan) (Member)
  • Dr. Mahmoud AlBowaleez, X-Shift Company (Member)
  • Ms. Bushra Alameen, VRAA Office Manager, UPM (Coordinator)

Criteria & Submission Guidelines

Open to all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students at Prince Mugrin bin Abdulaziz University.

  • Participants must form teams of 3 to 5 members.
  • Each team can submit only one project, which must align with the hackathon’s environmental theme.
  • Projects must be original and not previously submitted to any other competition.

Details of the award’s criteria and submission instructions can be found here: Award Overview and Criteria | Participants Guidelines

  • Awarded to the project that is most practical and implementable within current technological, financial, and societal constraints.
  • The project must have a realistic execution plan, resource availability, and scalability potential.

Themes & Categories

Themes

  • Renewable Energy and Green Technology
  • Water Management and Conservation
  • Waste Reduction and Recycling
  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration

Categories

  1. 1st Place: Best Environmental Solution
    Awarded to the project that presents the most comprehensive, impactful, and well-executed solution to an environmental challenge, with clear implementation strategy and measurable positive outcomes.
  2. 2nd Place: Outstanding Innovation
    Recognizes the project demonstrating the most creative and unique approach to solving an environmental problem, emphasizing novel ideas, disruptive technologies, or groundbreaking methodologies.
  3. 3rd Place: Most Feasible Project
    Awarded to the project that is most practical and implementable within current technological, financial, and societal constraints.
    The project must have a realistic execution plan, resource availability, and scalability potential.

Contact Information

Please send any inquiries to:   research.a@upm.edu.sa