The National Archives increases the Young Historian Award budget allocations and attracts Cycle 2 students

As the Young Historian Award entered its second decade of achieving its targets for students, the National Archives has announced the increase in the budget allocated for the 11th edition of the award and the expansion of its scope to include the UAE school students of Cycle 2. This is due to the award role in enhancing national education, encouraging research in the history of the UAE and developing historical awareness among students. Moreover, the National Archives aims to attract more participants in the award which is organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The National Archives is keen to attract Cycle 2 school students to enhance the sense of belonging to the homeland and loyalty to its wise leadership, foster national identity among young people, instill the concept of good citizenship in them and increase historical awareness. Additionally, it seeks to encourage students to use innovative research methods in order to preserve the history and heritage of UAE by collecting the unrecorded history and to study the genealogy of tribes and elements that reflect happiness, tolerance and dialogue of civilizations.

Having held its meeting at the National Archives, the Young Historian Award Committee identified the procedures and stages of the 11th edition of the award, which will be launched in January 2020 in coordination between the National Archives and the Ministry of Education. The committee will receive the students’ submissions in the second half of April; however, judging and award ceremony will be in June.

The Young Historian Award Committee for 2019-2020 has specified four categories for the award: Oral History, Geographical History, Economic History and Social History.

The new edition of the award covers a number of historical and national topics such as the Year of Tolerance, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan’s values, deeds and national principles, How the UAE’s society honors Martyrs of Duty and their families, Studies of genealogy, Tribes and personalities, Oral history narratives, Poetry, Folklore, Proverbs, Old correspondences, Photographs and holdings; traditional trades, crafts and markets; historical and archeological sites and traditional architecture, marine life including pearl diving and fishing, traditional medicine, lessons in moral education, studies on the role of the Emirati women, celebration 50th anniversary of the UAE and the ancient civilizations of the Emirates.

It is worth mentioning that the National Archives, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, will organize a number of introductory workshops, which aim to promote awareness about the Young Historian Award after launching the new edition.