The King Abdulaziz Historical Center received this award during the celebration of the Arab city and its architectural projects. The jury of the Award chose the Center under the theme of the role of the Arab city in preserving heritage. The Center was selected as a winner out of 182 projects representing 12 Arab nations competing for the Award.

King Abdulaziz Historical Center received this award because it was built on a historic site that was the axis of Riyadh’s development and the base for modern Saudi Arabia and also because it focused on underlining the Kingdom’s status and position as being the Cradle of Islam. The jury of the Award expressed appreciation for the concept of the project, its successful embodiment of the Kingdom›s Centennial Anniversary into a modern project as well as the heritage reflected in the center’s national and cultural facilities. The jury also recognized the high standards of heritage architecture in the Center’s open spaces and historical installations.

The Award recognized the Center as successfully realizing ‎the principle of preserving heritage. The Award provides effective recognition of the role and ‎contribution of the Riyadh Development Authority to the protection and ‎management of heritage for future generations.‎

This Award was given to al-Midi Mosque because the project successfully reflects and draws ‎inspiration from architectural heritage in both design and the overall coordination of the site. ‎The Award also acknowledges the utilization of local natural materials in addition to the ‎incorporation of advanced design concepts which have a profound impact on the architectural ‎and social surroundings.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Staff Housing Complex was selected for the Award of the Arab ‎Ministers of Housing and Construction. The Award acknowledges the unique design of the ‎complex and its successful demonstration of the cultural and environmental characteristics of ‎its urban structure. The complex also preserves the privacy of its residents by mixing environmental ‎profiles and providing modern facilities essential for a sustainable and prosperous residential ‎community.

The complex was planned and built to accommodate the ministry’s staff and families. The ‎complex is located in the al-Mohamadeyah neighborhood in the northern part of Riyadh and ‎extends over an area of 390,000 m2. It incorporates a comprehensive network of ‎services that includes a mosque, a commercial center, an educational complex, recreational clubs ‎for men and women, and a public park.‎

The project was designed for 3,600 residents accommodated in 612 housing units. These ‎include detached and semi-detached villas and apartment buildings with residential units of ‎different sizes. The size and style of units vary according to the professional positions of the ‎ministry staff. There are 13 different architectural designs of housing units in the complex.

In 2002, the Danish Architects Association chose the squares of the Qasr al-Hukam area in the center of Riyadh as one of the best squares in the world, as part of a book issued by the association under the title “New Squares of Cities”, which included 39 famous squares in nine major cities around the world, all of which were in Europe and the United States, except for the squares Qasr al-Hukam.

The association’s selection of the squares of the Qasr al-Hukam area in the center of Riyadh came to achieve the highest degree of merging between religious, cultural, commercial, and administrative functions in the region according to modern and modern urban designs that preserved the region’s originality, historical nobility, and local character.

Al-Maddy Mosque project in King Abdulaziz Historical Center won the first prize for the Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities at its seventh session, which was held in the Turkish capital, Ankara, for municipal projects and services. Al-Maddy Mosque, which is located on King Faisal Road in the eastern part of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in the Al-Murabba neighborhood in the center of Riyadh, is considered one of the first architectural facilities in the Kingdom in which modern technologies are applied in building methods using local clay materials (pressed clay). One of the technologies that facilitate the use of local materials in construction while developing the method of manufacturing them.

The comprehensive plan for the development of Wadi Hanifa won the interest and admiration of many experts and specialists in various countries of the world, which qualified it to obtain the Water Center Award in Washington, USA, as the best plan for developing water resources in the world among 75 projects submitted by 21 countries. This scheme was presented at the annual conference of the Water Center, which was held in Montreal, Canada at the time. The arbitration committee, composed of experts representing various countries of the world, considered that this project represents a pioneering initiative in comprehensive schemes. The scheme was also described as a global project and sets new global standards.

The Environmental Rehabilitation Program of Wadi Hanifa won second place and the gold award in the aspect of the environmental project within the award of the International Award for Vital Communities in London, Britain. Creativity and pioneering leadership to improve the quality of life of residents in communities

This Award is given to organizations whose awareness programs achieve environmental goals. ‎These programs need to include specific aspects of environmental protection and also enjoy a ‎positive response from the community through their active participation and contribution to ‎them. In addition, the programs should meet educational and scientific criteria and incorporate ‎as far as possible diverse environmental aspects.

 The High Committee for the Development of Riyadh was awarded the Agha Khan Award for ‎Architecture for the fourth time for its rehabilitation project of Wadi Hanifa in 2010. The jury of ‎the Award unanimously agreed to award the top place to the project out of 401 competitors. ‎The Award committee judged that the Wadi Hanifa project succeeded by applying ‎sensitive environmental measures and social values in developing a natural feature. This has ‎effectively and successfully transformed a watercourse that was previously filled with ‎hazardous waste and was a blot on the city into a delightful and attractive environment within ‎the city. The jury decided to give the Award to the Wadi Hanifa project in recognition of the ‎RDA’s vision and determination to realize sustainable development as part of effective ‎urban development.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City has won the second position in the “Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management”, organized by the Arab Administrative Development Organization (Arab League) under the category of “Environmental Management Applications by Arab Government Agencies”.

The award came in recognition of the High Committee for Environment Protection’s role in promoting environmental management, as well as its supervisory, coordinative, and follow-up efforts to implement‎ environmental protection‎ action plans in Riyadh.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City received two bronze awards from the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) for the “خضراء يادارنا” campaign within the Green Riyadh project in the category of “Best Sustainability Campaign in the Middle East” and the category of “Best Campaign in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” for the year 2021.

Riyadh Art project won a silver award from the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) for the Riyadh Light Festival as the best professional communication campaign in the Middle East in the Arts and Culture category, in a fierce competition in which more than 88 parties participated in 56 categories.

According to Urban Arts Projects, the work of the artist Luluwa Al-Hmoud, who participated in Noor Riyadh 2021 within the Riyadh Art program, was included in the list of “Best Public Work of Art Around the World 2021.

Noor Riyadh festival of art and light set two Guinness World Records. “Beacon,” by Polish artist Carolina Halatek, broke the record for the largest LED (light-emitting diode) structure, and “Star in Motion” by Belgian artist Koert Vermeulen, was suspended at a height of 256 meters on the Kingdom Center tower and radiated 1.2 million lumens of light. 

Arriyadh website, developed by RDA, was selected by the Internet Awards Academy in the Arab ‎Region in 2009 for the Award of the Best Arab Information and Strategic Services Portal. The Awards are given to the best ‎websites that are informative, convenient, and easy to access.

The Internet Awards ‎Academy in the Arab Region competition was organized in cooperation with Dubai Internet ‎City, Microsoft, and the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

Arriyadh website, developed by RDA, was selected by the Internet Awards Academy in the Arab ‎Region in 2009 for the second place for Best Website for information and services. The Awards are given to the best ‎websites that are informative, convenient, and easy to access.

Arriyadh maps website won the Saudi e-Government Achievement for offering better services to society. The Award is organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology with members of government and non-governmental departments competing. The Award is given to websites that operate according to the best international practices in the field and utilize the highest criteria in offering e-services.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City was awarded the e-Government Shield and the Certificate of Excellence within the competitions of the fifth session of the “e-Government Shield Award” competition, in which the Commission’s website www.rcrc.gov.sa won the Interactive Creativity Award in the category of websites of official agencies and departments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from Among 700 participating sites from various Arab countries, which were filtered through 3 stages of evaluation, of which only 35 sites won the prize.

The award was launched in cooperation between the Internet Awards Academy in the Arab region and Arab Organization for Social Responsibility (an organization of the League of Arab States), and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (a United Nations organization) developed and approved criteria for selecting the best government websites. The award aims to distinguish the efforts of Arab governments that have established websites on the Internet, to provide information, transparency, and services for citizens and residents.