ABU DHABI // As the last chance to put someone forward for an Abu Dhabi Award approaches, the organisers have passed a notable milestone - the 100,000th nomination since the competition began. Nominations for the unsung hero awards opened at the start of Ramadan and the winner will be crowned in a ceremony at the Emirates Palace hotel in December. All nominations have to be submitted by the end of today, and the number of people registering votes has been increasing daily over the past week.
"We really want to encourage everyone in the community to take the time to nominate," said Maryam Amiri of the Abu Dhabi Awards committee. "The increase in nominations this week is a clear reflection of the charitable spirit during the holy month of Ramadan." The Abu Dhabi Awards were set up to continue the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE. More than 9,000 nominations were logged in the first 18 days of the competition and have been increasingly steadily since.
Around 34,000 people registered last year, with voters putting names of worthy people forward via a Facebook group, a phoneline, the awards' website and more than 100 stands based across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia. The competition recognises good deeds and selfless actions carried out by anyone living in the emirate, with awards given depending on the merits of the submission, and not the amount of nominations.
Ten people were handed awards in the competition's first year, in 2005, as well as in 2006. Nine people were given prizes last year. The number of awards to be handed out this year has not yet been determined. People can vote today by telephoning 8003331, visiting www.abu dhabiawards.ae or by calling at any of the 23 manned or 88 unmanned stands across the emirate. Organisers of the Abu Dhabi Awards will also be accepting nominations in all the shopping malls.
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