Erbil, Iraq (November 25^th , 2022) – Rwanga Foundation held the final ceremony for the annual event of Rwanga Awards for the 9^th year in a row , in which the winners of ten categories had been unveiled, announced and awarded. The ceremony included different entertainment performances.

This year, the final ceremony of the competition was held once again in Erbil Governorate, which took place in Saad Abdullah Hall in Erbil city. With the attendance of many dignitaries from the government, ministers, and well-known celebrities. During the ceremony, the first, second, and third place winners for each of the ten categories were announced and awarded.

The winners for the Rwanga Awards 2022 are:

The opening of the ceremony started with a musical performance by the winners and was followed by an opening speech from the CED of Rwanga Foundation. During his speech, Abdulsalam Medeni (CED of Rwanga Foundation) stated “Where did the story of Rwanga Awards begin? "The beginning of the story starts from a young man who was passionate about serving people from his childhood.".

Moreover, the ceremony also included a unique performance performed which was a duet song that combined both Arabic and Kurdish languages by the famous Iraqi singer (Ammar Alkoofe) in collaboration with the famous Kurdish singer (Nazdar), a special song was produced to be presented for the first time on the stage of Rwanga Awards and combined both the Kurdish and Arabic cultures.

the jury members for the Rwanga Awards 2022 were:

Short Story (Kurdish) 

·         Fadhil Omer - Writer

·         Bushra Kasnazani - Writer and University Lecturer

·         Goran Rasool - Poet and Story Writer

Short Story (Arabic)

·         Jutyar Tamar - Writer and Academic Researcher

·         Abdulkareem Alkailani - Poet and Author

·         Alyaa Alansari - Writer and Novelist

Drawing

·         Dr. Rebwar Saieed - Assistant Professor

·         Hiwa Abdulaziz - University Lecturer

·         Rowaida Husen - Teacher

Photography 

·         Jamal Penjwene - Head of the Visual Media Department at the Kurdistan Region Presidency Office

·         Thaier Alsudani - Senior Photographer in Reuters

·         Khanda Sarchl Majeed - Photographer

Short film

·         Ranj Mustafa - Director

·         Shurooq Alhasan - Actress and Director

·         Kamiran Betasi - Director

Scientific Innovation

·         Dr. Hemn Latif - Lecturer and Entrepreneur

·         Muhammed Alazawi - Engineer

·         Dr. Bayz Khurshid - Former University Lecturer

Entrepreneurship

·         Yousif Al-Alousi - Executive Manager at Noor Ala Noor Organization

·         Gillian Harshami - Entrepreneurial Advisor

·         Dr. Saba AghalehRecycled Art - CEO and Founder of Saba Holding

Recycled Art

·         Dr. Zhino Khalid Muhammed - Lecturer in the University of Sulaimani

·         Marwah Raed Alnoaime - Founder of Green Gold for Development and Sustainability

·         Firas Jalo - Visual Artist

Solo Musician

·         Mahdi Nuri - Musician

·         Halbast Salah - Teacher

·         Shren Haqi Hussain - Vocal Coach and Opera Singer

Poetry (Kurdish) 

·         Abdulkhaliq Yaqubi - Literary critic and Translator

·         Shukri Ismail - Poet and Writer

·         Shaban Sleman - Poet and Journalist

Software Development

·         Dr. Nawzad Salayi - Head of Outreach and Capacity Building Department of Information Technology (DIT) Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)

·         Rebwar Raies - Assistant Professor

·         Dr. Tarfa Yaseen Hamad - University Lecturer

Sponsors of the Rwanga Awards 2022:

-          Diamond Sponsor: (Erbil Hills, KurdNeft, Darin Group, Awamedica, Al-Hayat Pepsi)

-          Gold Sponsor: (Erbil International Hotel, Burger King, Lumark, Edicoo, Grand Gate, Askandar)

-          Media Partner: (Rudaw Media Network)

-          Media Sponsor: (K24, UTV, Kurdistan TV, Mix FM, Waar Media, Zagros TV, M Radio, Falcon Group, Shafaq News, Duhok TV, Fox View, Faluja TV, Wilayat Batikh, Stars Casablanca, Celebrities Iraq Magazine).

The Rwanga Awards is an annual project of Rwanga Foundation. With the goal of improving and fostering the potential of the youth, Rwanga Awards strives to discover talents, to strengthen confidence and to collect all types of artistic, literary, and scientific projects created and developed throughout Iraq by the youths aged between 15 and 25 years. The categories are: Arabic Short Story, Kurdish Short Story, Short Film, Recycled Art, Scientific Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Solo Musician, Photography, Drawing, Kurdish Poetry, Arabic Poetry, and Software Development.