Under the patronage of the King and on his behalf, Riyadh Region Prince honors winners of King Faisal Award for 2025.
Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Riyadh, honored the winners of the 2025 King Faisal Prize in its forty-seventh edition at the Prince Sultan Grand Hall of the Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. Upon arrival at the event, Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khalid, the Secretary-General of the King Faisal Charitable Foundation, and Dr. Abdulaziz Al Swaile, the Secretary-General of the King Faisal International Prize, welcomed him.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Quranic verses followed by a speech by Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, thanking King Salman for his sponsorship of the prize and commending the attendance of Prince Faisal in the honoring ceremony. Prince Turki expressed gratitude for the leadership that has paved the way for progress and prosperity, following the vision of King Faisal to make the country a beacon of humanity.
Dr. Abdulaziz Al Swaile, the Secretary-General of the King Faisal International Prize, then delivered a speech praising the six winners for their outstanding achievements in various fields such as Islamic services, Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and sciences, which have contributed to serving humanity and enhancing knowledge.
The Prize for Islamic Service in 2025 was awarded to the Tabeen Quranic Society for their innovative initiative to provide meanings of the Quran through sign language using an interactive electronic application. This initiative has enabled hearing-impaired individuals to understand the Quran and promote inclusivity in Islamic education. The Prize was also awarded to Sami Abdullah Al Moghlooth, a consultant at the General Authority for Surveying and Geospatial Information in the Kingdom, for his exceptional efforts in documenting Islamic history through the preparation of over 40 historical and geographical atlases that have been translated into various languages, disseminating Islamic historical knowledge globally.
In the field of Islamic Studies, which focused on the “Studies on the Artefacts of the Arabian Peninsula” this year, Professor Saad Abdulaziz Al Rashid, a Saudi archaeologist, was recognized for his fundamental contributions in studying Islamic inscriptions and the archaeological heritage of the Arabian Peninsula. The prize was shared with Professor Saeed Fayez Al Saeed for his comparative work in studying ancient inscriptions in the Arabian Peninsula and contributions to understanding pre-Islamic civilizations.
The Prize for Medicine, highlighting “Cell Therapy” this year, was awarded to Professor Michel Sadelain from Canada, a professor at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States, for his pioneering work in developing CAR-T immunotherapies that have shown effective clinical results in treating blood cancers and promising efficacy in autoimmune diseases and solid tumors.
The Science Prize this year was dedicated to the field of physics, and Professor Sumio Iijima from Japan, a professor at Meijo University, was selected for his groundbreaking discovery of carbon nanotubes using electron microscopy. His work has established a new scientific field in materials science and nanotechnology, with broad applications in various areas from electronics to biomedical technology.
However, the Prize for Arabic Language and Literature, focusing on “Studies Addressing Identity in Arabic Literature,” was not awarded this year due to the lack of nominated works meeting the prize criteria.
The event was attended by several members of the royal family, officials, diplomats accredited to the Kingdom, intellectuals, and thinkers from around the world.
