The prizes were unanimously awarded by an international panel, which included Luigi Danesi, President of Internazionale Marmi e Macchine as well as delegates from the Saudi academic and architectural community. Representatives included Khaled Al Shokr and Mohammed Al Rubeish from the Saudi Umran Society (the Saudi Architects Association), along with Mansour Al Jadeed and Mahmoud Idris on behalf of the Architectural Faculty of King Saud University. Also on the part of Italy were Amedeo Scarpa, director of the Riyadh branch of the Italian Trade Commission; Luigi De Matteis, an Italian architect who has been working in the Gulf area for many years; and Marcantonio Ragone, Manager of the Promotion Department at IMM.

“An extremely representative panel worked with quality in mind, but also paid attention to cultural significance, which is absolutely essential,” said Danesi. “The fact that the members of the jury have always been unanimous in their decisions proves that an assessment based on shared criteria leads to find the very best of what the entrants submit.”