Record nominations for Abu Dhabi Awards

The nominations for this year's Abu Dhabi Awards have broken all previous records, it was announced on Wednesday. Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Awards 2015 nomination campaign received 36,404 nominations, of which 22,452 were unique.
The unique nominations, which set a record, reflect the number of individuals proposed for Abu Dhabi's highest civilian honour.
The figure is the highest since the awards were launched 10 years ago. Nominations came from a broader demography than in previous years; a total of 135 nationalities took part in the process this year, up from 117 nationalities in 2013.
Organisers believe an increase in online nominations has helped boost public participation with people being more enthusiastic than ever to see their selfless community heroes rewarded.
The Abu Dhabi Awards was inaugurated in 2005 to celebrate individuals who have selflessly contributed to building and supporting the community of Abu Dhabi.
So far 63 individuals have been awarded. A spokesperson for the Abu Dhabi Awards committee said: "It's heart-warming to see such enthusiasm for the Abu Dhabi Awards.... It is particularly encouraging to see more of the country's youth getting involved with the awards, nominating people they consider to have made a positive difference in their schools, universities and communities to receive this prestigious honour."
The seven-week nomination period for the Abu Dhabi Awards 2015 was from May 10 to June 27.
The committee arranged schools visits to help create a better understanding of how to nominate someone online through the awards website,. Anyone considered to have made a positive contribution to Abu Dhabi's community could be nominated for the award regardless of their age, gender or nationality. Even someone who lives overseas is eligible, as long as they have added to the goodness of the community in Abu Dhabi.
The awards' official partners, Etisalat and Abu Dhabi Media, played a vital role in the success of the 2015 Abu Dhabi Awards campaign. The screening process to assess all the nominations is under way and will continue through the next few months. The Abu Dhabi Awards 2015 winners will be announced during a ceremony that will take place in the coming months.
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