Winners honored at second Azwa Community Participation Award in Riyadh

Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, Mayor of Riyadh, presided over the second edition of the Azwa Community Participation Forum and Award for 2026, organized by the Riyadh Municipality. The event was attended by officials, leaders, representatives from government, private and non-profit sectors, as well as those interested in community work and urban development.

During the ceremony, the mayor honored the award winners from among individuals, volunteer teams, and organizations, praising their dedication and efforts to serve their community. He emphasized that the true value of their initiatives lies in their tangible impact on people's lives and the benefits delivered to beneficiaries.

The award aims to encourage innovative initiatives, recognize impactful community practices, motivate individuals and organizations to serve their communities, and showcase successful experiences for broader benefit, all contributing to neighborhood development and improved quality of life.

In his speech at the forum, the mayor stressed that community participation is a cornerstone for developing cities and enhancing quality of life. He highlighted the longstanding values of cooperation and solidarity in Riyadh and across the Kingdom, and underscored the importance of residents' involvement in developing their neighborhoods, maintaining facilities, and strengthening their connection to the city.

He noted the strong support Riyadh receives from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the close attention of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is also Prime Minister. He affirmed that Riyadh’s residents are key partners in its development, and that the municipality is working to expand opportunities for community participation, support initiatives, and build partnerships across sectors.

The mayor expressed his pride in the initiatives and projects presented by participants and winners of the Azwa Award, which have contributed to community service.

During the event, he announced the launch of the "Reemat Community Initiative," marking a new step in developing the community participation framework that the municipality has been building in recent years. This initiative aims to organize and sustain community work, broaden participation opportunities for individuals and organizations, support successful initiatives, and turn community ideas into impactful, ongoing projects.

Reflecting the forum’s philosophy of transforming community participation from a concept into effective practice within the municipal sector, the "From Challenge to Partnership" community participation arena brought together municipal departments, residents, and private and non-profit sectors to address challenges, opportunities, and projects. Ideas were transformed into initiatives, and initiatives into tangible realities in neighborhoods. Attendees moved from proposing ideas to building tools during two workshops: "Designing Beneficiary Experience in Community Initiatives" and "How to Turn a Community Initiative into a Social Investment Opportunity," aiming to maximize initiative impact and sustainability.

These partnerships progressed from dialogue to action, as the mayor oversaw the signing of 15 development agreements with partners from government, private, and non-profit sectors. These agreements address the city’s and residents’ needs in infrastructure, humanization, and culture, underscoring the importance of cooperation and integrated roles between sectors for community service and sustainable development.

At the conclusion of the forum, the mayor honored winners in the competitive tracks of the second Azwa Award, which saw 280 volunteer initiatives across four tracks: municipal volunteering, community initiatives, social responsibility, and, for the first time, cultural participation, in addition to the Riyadh Municipality’s honorary track.

In the municipal volunteering track, Zahra Jaafar bin Hassan Ghaith won first place among individuals, while the Fajr Walkers Volunteer Team and Layali Al-Ataa Volunteer Team took first and second place, respectively, among volunteer teams.

In the community initiatives track, Ali Al-Mulaqi took first place and Najla Al-Manqour second among individuals. The Diriyah Gate Development Authority won first place among organizations, and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, represented by the Nama Endowment Fund, took second.

In the social responsibility track, Badr bin Mohammed Al-Bawardi, on behalf of his late father, engineer Mohammed bin Saad Al-Bawardi, won first place for the Mohammed bin Saad Al-Bawardi Theater in Shaqra. The Agricultural Development Company came second.

In the cultural participation track, Mansour Al-Assaf and Rayan Al-Musharrafi took first and second place among individuals. The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission won first place among organizations, and the Safarat Al-Turath Association came second.

The Riyadh Municipality honorary track concluded the awards, with Hamdan Al-Hilali named Ideal Citizen and the Al-Hussein Historical Diwaniya recognized as Ideal Organization.

The scale and quality of participation in the second Azwa Forum and Award highlight the importance of integration and cooperation in embedding the concept of community participation and responsibility across government, private, and non-profit sectors. The event also strengthens the role of the community as a partner in urban development, turning individual and institutional initiatives into sustainable impacts felt in neighborhoods and public spaces, and showcasing the city’s cultural identity and humanized spaces. This deepens residents’ sense of belonging and supports Riyadh’s vision to build a vibrant, attractive city.

The Azwa Forum and Award are part of Riyadh Municipality’s ongoing efforts to embed community participation in municipal work, expand the contribution of individuals and organizations to city development, and recognize those making a positive impact. This aligns with the municipality’s vision to be a leading authority for a prosperous, sustainable Riyadh with a high quality of life, and its mission to advance the capital through sustainable urban development, high-quality services, and effective partnerships, supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s goals for a vibrant society and sustainable cities that meet residents’ needs and achieve sustainable development objectives.