The Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) is a Saudi Arabian scientific prize, established on 21 October 2002 by Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud."About the prize" , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008. The Prize has its headquarters at the Prince Sultan Research Center for Environment, Water and Desert (PSRCEWD) at King Saud University."The Center in Brief" , PSRCEWD. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
It is a bi-annual international scientific award that accepts nominations from all over the world. For its third round (2006–2008), the Prize received 198 nominations from 53 countries, with the Creativity Prize, worth more than a quarter of a million dollars, receiving 73 of those nominations."Almost 200 Projects Nominated for Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water", Water and Wastes Digest 23 January 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
Prizes Awarded PSIPW offers five distinct prizes. One million Saudi Riyals (about $266,000) is allocated for the Creativity Prize, while half a million Saudi Riyals (about $133,000) is allocated for each of the other four Specialized Prizes."Press Release: Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water introduces 3rd round", UNESCO Water Portal . 2 August 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2008. The Prize is accompanied by a gold medallion, a trophy and a certificate.
The five prizes are as follows:
Creativity Prize Specialized Prizes: Surface Water Prize Groundwater Prize Alternative Water Resources Prize Water Management and Protection Prize
During the first two awards of the Prize (2002–2004)"Prize Topics: First Award " , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008. and (2004–2006)"Prize Topics: Second Award " , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008. there were five specialized prizes, since "Water Resources Management" and "Water Resources Protection" were awarded separately. These two prizes were combined after the Second Award and the "Water Management and Protection Prize" was awarded for the first time with the Third Award (2006–2008)."Prize Topics: Third Award " , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008. The Creativity Prize was inaugurated for the Third Award (2006–2008)."Creativity Prize Now a Part of Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Prize for Water", Water and Wastes Digest 27 March 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
The Creativity Prize The Creativity Prize is not restricted to specific topics. Instead, its criteria are defined by general guidelines. This allows the Creativity Prize to cover a broad range of interdisciplinary water-related subjects.
The Creativity Prize is awarded to work that the Prize Committee deems to be a "breakthrough" in any water-related field. The work might be an invention, a research paper, a new technology, or a development project. It can relate to any branch of any water-related discipline. It might contribute to increasing available water resources, or to alleviating scarcity, or to minimizing pollution. It might make a material contribution to water conservation or to effective water management. The work should provide a solution which is useful to society, contribute to development and social upliftment, be practical, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective.(2008). Prince Sultan International Prize for Water: Activities and Winners 2008, p.3. KSU Press., Riyadh. no ISBN
Specialized Prizes The topic for each of the four specialized prizes used to vary with each award.(2008). Prince Sultan International Prize for Water: Activities and Winners 2008, p. 5. KSU Press., Riyadh. no ISBN For example, in one round of the Prize, the Surface Water topic might be "Flood Control". In other rounds, the topic might be "Rainwater Harvesting", "Sedimentation Control", "Space Technology Applications" or some other topic related to surface water issues. The same applied to the other three specialized prizes. However, the topic for the third specialized branch – alternative (non-traditional) water resources – will most frequently be related to desalination.(2008). Prince Sultan International Prize for Water: Activities and Winners 2008, p.7. KSU Press., Riyadh. no ISBN
The topics for the (4th) award were as follows:Prince Sultan International Prize for Water: General Information and Invitation for Nominations – 4th Award (2008–2010) , p. 6. PSIPW Retrieved 6 January 2009 1st Branch (Surface Water) topic: Innovative Methods for Rain and Runoff Water Modeling 2nd Branch (Ground Water) topic: Assessment and Control of Radioactive Contamination in Groundwater 3rd Branch (Alternative -non-traditional- Water Resources) topic: Innovative Methods for Water Production from Non-Traditional Water Resources 4th Branch (Water Resources Management and Protection) topic: Remote Sensing and GIS Applications for Water Resources Management
Starting with the 5th award (2012), specific topics were no longer announced. All of the Specialized Prizes became open to all relevant topics.
Organization, nomination and selection
The Prize Council consists of the Prize Council Chairman who is presently HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz and the following council members:"The Council" , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
The Saudi Minister of Water and Electricity The Rector of King Saud University The Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation The General Secretary of the Prize, who is also the Director of Prince Sultan Research Center for Environment, Water and Desert:- King Saud University 3 Saudi experts 3 international experts
Conditions for nomination – Creativity Prize All nominations for the 4th Award of the Prize will be made online through an electronic application form that will be available on the PSIPW website. All required documentation and submitted works will be uploaded by way of the same form. No mail-in applications will be accepted. Nominations may be made for individuals and groups whose work conforms to the criteria of the Creativity Prize (see above). An individual or group of individuals (a team working on the same project or research) may be nominated for the prize. In the event that a group of individuals are being nominated, all group members must be named at the time of application and one member must be specified as their representative. Groups of people working on the same project may not be nominated separately. They must be nominated as a group with a single nomination form. A university, institution, or government agency is not eligible to be nominated for the Creativity Prize. The nominee must be an individual or group of individuals. Nominations for the Creativity Prize must be made by a university, institution, or government agency. Individuals may not nominate themselves or others for the Creativity Prize. The work or works being considered for the nomination must have been completed no more than five (5) years prior to the nomination deadline for the current Prize. Published research papers, published books, and registered patents may be submitted for consideration. No more than five (5) distinct works may be submitted. Multiple works should not be collected together and submitted as a single work. Works will be reviewed and judged in English. If the work being nominated was originally published in a language other than English, it must be submitted in the original language accompanied by a full translation or by a translation of the parts of the work that are to be considered for the Prize. If a partial English translation is provided for a work submitted in another language, then only that portion of the work which is translated will be considered for assessment. An individual or group nominated for the Creativity Prize may not be nominated in the same round for a Specialized Branch Prize. The work being nominated must not have previously been a recipient of any other international prize. Members of the Prize committees and their immediate relatives may not be nominated for the Prize.
Conditions for nomination – specialized branch prizes All nominations for the 4th Award of the Prize will be made online through an electronic application form that will be available on the PSIPW website. All required documentation and submitted works will be uploaded by way of the same form. No mail-in applications will be accepted. Nominations may be made for individuals, groups, and organizations who have made a pioneering contribution in of the branches of the Prize (see above). An individual, group of individuals (a team working on the same project or research), or organization may nominate themselves for the prize. In the event that a group of individuals are being nominated, all group members must be named at the time of application and one member must be specified as their representative. Groups of people working on the same project may not be nominated separately. They must be nominated as a group with a single nomination form. The work or works being considered for the nomination must have been completed no more than five (5) years prior to the nomination deadline for the current Prize. Published research papers, published books, and registered patents may be submitted for consideration. No more than five (5) distinct works may be submitted. Multiple works should not be collected together and submitted as a single work. All works submitted for consideration must be related to the particular specialized branch chosen for the nomination. Works will be reviewed and judged in English. If the work being nominated was originally published in a language other than English, it must be submitted in the original language accompanied by a full translation or by a translation of the parts of the work that are to be considered for the Prize. If a partial English translation is provided for a work submitted in another language, then only that portion of the work which is translated will be considered for assessment. An individual, group, or organization nominated for a particular branch of the Prize may not be nominated in the same round for another Specialized Branch Prize or for the Creativity Prize.(2008). Prince Sultan International Prize for Water: Activities and Winners 2008, p.9. KSU Press., Riyadh. no ISBN The work being nominated must not have previously been a recipient of any other international prize. Members of the Prize committees and their immediate relatives may not be nominated for the Prize.
Evaluation of nominated works Works are evaluated to determine their scientific value and originality, how they contribute to the field, and their usefulness to society, especially with reference to development and to solving problems on an international level.
The nominated works are evaluated by an international panel of scientists who serve on various specialized committees on one or more of the following three levels:"Schedule of procedures for nomination and award of the Prize" , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
Preliminary Evaluation Committees Referee Committees Selection Committees
Award ceremonies
The secretariat of the Prize typically announces the names of the winners in October, with the Prizes being awarded at a formal ceremony held in November in conjunction with an academic conference.
The ceremony for the First Award was held on Sunday, 5 December 2004 at King Saud University along with the 1st International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments."The 1st International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environment (2006)" , PSIPW. Retrieved 29 December 2008. The ceremony for the Second Award took place on 26 November 2006 concurrently with the 2nd International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments."2nd International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environment", EMWIS News. Retrieved 29 December 2008.