The Special Awards Committee on Wednesday announced that it would begin accepting nominations for the "President’s Award for Special Achievement" on Sunday, August 14, 2022. The President confers the award on individuals whose exceptional skills and performance are a source of national pride and those who have made substantial contributions to national progress.
This year, the award would feature five categories, introducing a new category to coincide with the 50th-anniversary celebrations of tourism in the Maldives. The President introduced the new category to recognise the outstanding, creative, and innovative contributions of tourism sector stakeholders and staff towards developing the industry and the nation.
The first category is dedicated to individuals who have attained significant achievements in higher education and training; certification equivalent to Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA) rank 10 with an exceptional result; and certification equivalent to MQA levels 7-9 at the highest rank. The award in this category would also recognise those achieving the highest honours at the respective higher education institutions.
The second category is dedicated to individuals who have excelled at or achieved the highest rank in an international competition or exhibition. The third is dedicated to innovative and enterprising individuals who have presented practical resolutions or outstanding solutions by conducting academic research on critical national challenges.
The fourth category would see awards given to talented youth who were remarkably creative and innovative in their field of expertise and were acknowledged to have had a positive effect on national progress. Individuals must be between 18 and 35 to be eligible for this category.