ABU DHABI // Yahsat is launching a children's art competition to commemorate the lift-off of its first satellite.
The competition, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council, is open to all UAE residents between the ages of 6 and 18. The theme is "Kamarna Fakharna," or "Nation's Pride in the Sky".
Submissions should highlight the importance of satellite technology and cross-cultural communications, organisers said. The entries can include calligraphy, sculpture, photography or painting.
The competition will be judged by local artists in two categories based on age, and the winners' work will be displayed in Yahsat's satellite control centre in Al Falah, about a half-hour drive from the capital. The top ten submissions will be put on exhibition at the Souk at Central Market.
The deadline for entries is June 8; submissions can be made through the website yahsatlaunch.ae.
Yahsat, or Al Yah Satellite Communications, is owned by Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company controlled by the Abu Dhabi Government. The satellite Y1A was launched last month, while a second satellite, Y1B, is scheduled for launch later this year.
"Art is how we express the history of the now, and the launch of Y1A is certainly a historic occasion," local artist Noor al Suwaidi, a judge of the competition, said in a statement. "As the youth of the nation look into the sky and know we are significantly growing our presence in space, I feel we will see some amazing work and remarkable expression come forth."
