Cairo, September 17 (QNA) - The Arab League hosted on Thursday an award ceremony for the second edition of the Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Award for Creativity in the Service of the Arabic Language, focusing this year on teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.

The event was held in Cairo and brought together senior Arab figures in the domains of culture, Arabic language and parliamentary work.

The USD 60,000 Institutional Award was shared equally between the Al Azhar University's Center for Education Development for Envoys and Foreign Students and the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers ("Mishkat") in recognition of their educational projects.

The USD 40,000 Individual Award, centered on digitization in service of the Arabic language, was awarded jointly to Dr. Khalid Hussain Abu Amsha and Dr. El Sayed Antar Abu El Wafa for their co-authored scientific work, "Foreign Strategies in Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers."

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy stated during the ceremony that teaching Arabic to non-native speakers serves as a vital window for presenting Arab culture globally and acts as an effective tool for soft power and cultural diplomacy. (QNA)