His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, today sponsored a ceremony at the governorate's headquarters honouring male and female students who won the fourth edition of the Al Yamamah Award for Excellence. The winners are orphans who benefit from the services of the Benaa Association for Orphan Care in the region, and the award aims to support and motivate high achievers in academic and knowledge fields.

The governor said that caring for students and encouraging academic excellence develops their abilities, hones their talents and opens wider horizons for them to fulfil their ambitions. He stressed the importance of programmes for orphans that give them opportunities to build their future and take an active part in society.

Benaa's chief executive, Dr. Abdullah Al-Khalidi, thanked the governor for his patronage and continued support, and said this year's award celebrates 536 winners who received 600 awards across tracks including memorisation of the Holy Quran, academic achievement, aptitude and achievement tests, English, volunteering, academic improvement, and local, regional and international competitions.

He noted that the number of winners in the competitions track rose from 26 to 42, crediting the association's Digital and Social Innovation Center with discovering and developing the students' abilities and preparing them for competitions and hackathons.

The vice chairman of Al Yamamah Group said the company was proud to be the award's exclusive sponsor and to see it bear fruit year after year, now in its fourth edition, describing it as a product of cooperation between the private and non-profit sectors. At the end of the ceremony, the governor honoured the partners and the winning students.