The University of Dubai (UD) has organized a virtual “Creative Writing Competition 2021 for its students and highschoolers from across the UAE to develop young talents in
various fields, unleash their imaginations and encourage them to read and write.
The competition, which started on 17/02/2021 and ended on 18/03/2021, mainly aims to stimulate students’ creativity especially while pursuing their studies online. 20 articles ( 8 Arabic – 12 English) were submitted from UD students and 178 articles(104 Arabic- 74 English) from high school students across the UAE. The first and second winners from both tracks won monetary prizes. Winners were announced during an awarding ceremony by UD President Dr. Eesa Al Bastaki the judging committee, school principals, UD staff as well as the winners with their friends and families.
The main topics of the competition included: The future of jobs and careers after Covid-19, prospects and challenges of distance learning, the role of innovations in preventing possible health security and medical challenges in addition to transformation of travel and tourism sectors after COVID-19.
Dr. Al Bastaki highlighted the significance of promoting healthy reading and writing habits to encourage and provoke creative thinking among school and university students across the UAE. “Our role as an educational institution lies in our capability to direct our students and enhance their mental growth by immersing the roots and power of reading and writing in their cognitive thinking/ behavior,” he added. He also reflected on the significance of holding similar competitions to help develop well-educated future generations and positively impact the prosperity and progress of societies.