The establishment of the King Salman International Award for Disability Research conforms with the great attention the causes of disability and the disabled in our country have been receiving, by our wise leadership, ever since the establishment of this great country by the heroic founder and renowned leader, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Faisal Al Saud- may his soul rest in peace – until our prosperous present day, the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and his faithful Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God protect them. This was evident through all the efforts made by all governmental entities and civil society institutions all over the Kingdom. Moreover, higher education institutions, through their academic units, research centers, and specialized periodicals, have contributed to the progress of scientific works in various areas of disability, and meeting the requirements of the civil society in terms of complementarity between all its sectors. The award is honored to bear the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud—the man of great missions, generous initiatives, amazing humanitarian achievements, and innumerable charitable works; the humane king who set the most wonderful examples in philanthropy, giving, and development. He paid great attention to the causes of disability and the disabled. This was represented in his establishment of the first center for scientific research in the field of disability in the region, ,the King Salman Center for Disability Research, which is the birthplace of this award.
The idea of the award was proposed by His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Board of Trustees of the King Salman Center for Disability Research. He has also monitored its stages of development, and supervised the steps for its approval, with the aim of revitalizing scientific research in the field of disability locally, regionally, and globally,. He did so until this award became the largest in the world in its field, and one which senior scientists in the fields of disability from all over the world compete for, globally promoting the scientific movement that serves this group.
Global Award Status:
Morally
It bears the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may God support him, and is the only one in the world in this field that bears the name of a country’s leader and head.
Financially
The largest prize in the world .
Scientifically
The award is regarded as one of the most precise international awards in areas of disability, and one of the clearest in the evaluation method.
Popularity
It is one of the most participated in international awards, with the involvement of researchers from many different countries. Researchers from 42 countries participated in the first round, researchers from 29 countries participated in the second round, and it is anticipated that researchers from over 50 countries will participate in the third round.
General Regulations
- The award is granted to scientists, researchers, and entities who have made distinguished scientific contributions to the area of disability, and who have had their work applied to research practices.
- The scientific production submitted for the award should fall within one of the award’s branches, as stipulated in the fifth article of this regulation.
- All elements of the scientific production submitted for the award should adhere to the scientific method recognized in scientific communities.
- The scientific production submitted for the award is characterized by authenticity, leadership, and innovation, and provides scientific additions that have a significant impact on the applicant’s field of specialization.
- The scientific production submitted for the award has not been previously submitted for another similar award.
- Previous winners of the award are not allowed to be nominated for it again, until at least five years have passed since they won the award, provided that they participate with a different scientific production than the one they were previously awarded for.
- The award’s secretariat is not obligated to return the scientific production submitted for the award, whether or not the applicant has won.
- Employees of the King Salman Center for Disability Research or members of the award's authority or committees are not eligible to be nominated for the award.
Nomination for the Award
Nominations for the award can be made via the following:
- Local, regional and international disability research centers.
- Academic departments concerned with disability in local, regional and international colleges and universities.
- Institutions, organizations and authorities concerned with disability, locally, regionally and globally.
- A previous winner of this award.
- Self-nomination of the applicant if they meet the general regulations.
- Nomination of scientists or researchers by others who believe they are eligible for the award according to the general regulations.
Granting and Withholding the Award
- The award is granted to one winner per branch, and more than one winner may be chosen from the same branch.
- The award is withheld at the event if its conditions and regulations are not met by the nominees.
Nomination Requirements
- The nominee should have a scientific production, published on refereed publishing journals.
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Submit a list of published scientific studies (individual and joint) arranged in reverse-chronological order (abiding by the CV template approved by the award), including the following:
- Titles of the scientific studies.
- The publishing journals.
- The journal’s impact factor in the year of publication, according to Clarivate Analytics.
- The journal’s ranking (Q1, Q2, Q3) according to Clarivate Analytics.
- In the case that the journal is indexed under Scopus, the relevant table should be filled. If it is not ranked, then impact factor and ranking should be left blank.
- Submit a list of individual and joint books (authoring, editing, and translation).
- Submit a list of professional contributions, or community initiatives (if any) by the applicant that serve in the area of disability.
- Submit an essay of no more than 500 words, in which the applicant/nominee talks about the extent to which their scientific production contributes to the field of disabilities on a national and global level.
- Submit a letter of support written by the entity to which the nominee belongs (in case of nomination by an entity) or by a colleague in the area of disability that justifies the nomination of the candidate (to be directly electronically sent by the entity or colleague).
Award-granting Events
- Award winners are announced within no less than a month before the date of awarding.
- The award is granted in a ceremony sponsored by a dignitary in the Kingdom.
- A group of notable international figures, specialists, and experts in the areas of the award’s branches are invited to attend the award ceremony.
- A scientific seminar is organized for the day after the awarding ceremony, where winners discuss the conclusions of their scientific experiments and practical experience.
Award Value
The total prize amounts to two million Saudi Riyals, and each award in each of the award’s branches consists of the following:
- A certificate bearing the winner’s name, and a summary of the work that earned them the award.
- An appreciation trophy.
- A cash prize of 500,000 Saudi Riyals.
