Sheikh Hamad Award 2023 for FUNCI

On 13 December 2023 was held in Doha (Qatar) the ninth edition of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (SHATIU), where the Islamic Culture Foundation (FUNCI) was awarded in the category “Spanish Language Achievements” along with other major institutions, including the Toledo School of Translators and the Colegio de México.

The Sheikh Hamad Award is an international award established in Doha in 2015 and managed by a board of trustees, a steering committee, and an independent jury. It is named in honour of Seque Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the ruling emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013. On this occasion, FUNCI’s General Secretariat, Encarnación Gutiérrez, received the award from Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al Thani, brother of the current emir of Qatar. Various authorities attended the ceremony, members of diplomatic missions accredited in Qatar, as well as other guests, including writers, translators and researchers.

The award is intended to honour translators and translation centres and to recognise their role in strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the peoples and nations of the world. On the other hand, it rewards merit and excellence in their creative work. The award also aims to foster understanding and dialogue, as well as promote Arab and Islamic culture, by enriching it through significant works of universal literature, art, and science.

The Sheikh Hamad Award is an international award established in Doha in 2015 and managed by a board of trustees, a steering committee, and an independent jury.

Before the awards ceremony, FUNCI representatives had the opportunity to present their work as an entity promoting projects, whose ultimate goal is to serve as a bridge for intercultural understanding between East and West, and the eradication of prejudice through culture and heritage. For the FUNCI team, this award is a recognition of their work and a motivation to continue working and projecting into the future.