Residents express love for Zayed through art, poetry'

To honour the life and legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Emirates Foundation, along with global food and beverage company PepsiCo, launched the Art of Zayed competition earlier this year.
Several residents took the opportunity to express their love for the UAE's founding father through art, music and poetry. The cream of the crop made it to the competition's finale at Youth Hub in Emirates Towers, Dubai, on Sunday.
The winner of the art category is Bwader ElHassan, from Sudan, for her submission entitled Second Life of Oysters; Khalifa Al Remethi, from the UAE, won the music category for his submission entitled Wallah Ma Troh; and the winner of the poetry category is Nidhi Jhaveri, from India, with her poem entitled The Ruler of Our Hearts.
All three winners received a cash prize of Dh10,000 each and would have their winning submissions promoted by PepsiCo, Emirates Foundation, and other competition partners. Fujairah Fine Arts Academy will showcase ElHassan's winning art; The Dukkan Show will feature Jhaveri's poem; and Anghami will feature Al Remethi's song.
The Art of Zayed competition was launched on May 6, 2018, giving participants until September 15 to complete their submissions. 
Although over 1,000 people registered online, only 100 completed their submissions.
Ten submissions were selected across the categories: four participants in the art category, three in music, and three in poetry. The judges selected the winners based on the four values of the Year of Zayed - wisdom, respect, sustainability and human development. Jhaveri, winner of the poetry category, said: "The late Sheikh Zayed's presence was like a massive ocean with its abundance and generosity. If we go back 100 years, we'd notice that the country we live in today has largely been shaped by the late Sheikh Zayed's unique vision, sublime legacy, foresight and grace. And all of this inspired me to write my poetry piece."
Art winner ElHassan said: "My art submission was inspired by the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed for the environment. I saw beauty and great possibilities in the natural oysters that were never going to be used and put them in the shape of the UAE as a personal tribute to the country. My artwork is a message about the importance of recycling."
During the Art of Zayed awards ceremony, the works of the competition's 10 finalists were presented to an audience comprising VIPs and representatives from PepsiCo and Emirates Foundation.
Congratulating the winners, Omar Farid, president for Middle East and North Africa, PepsiCo, said: "The late Sheikh Zayed is as inspirational as he is iconic. It was our privilege to align our passion with the goals of the Year of Zayed, and I believe we have chosen three worthy submissions that pay fitting tribute to the late leader of the UAE through art, poetry, and musical expression."
saman@khaleejtimes.com