Two New Awards Raise Saudi Arabia’s Achievement at “ISEF 2025” to 25 International Honors

Misk Hamad Al-Mutairi and Raghad Yasser Al-Sheikh added two international awards to Saudi Arabia’s tally at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2025) after winning two special awards from the American Chemical Society (ASC) in recognition of their excellent scientific projects. This increased the Kingdom’s tally from 23 to 25 international awards at the competition, held last May in Columbus, Ohio, USA, with over 1,700 students participating from 70 countries.

This recognition continues the series of scientific achievements recorded by Saudi students in this year’s fair, bringing their tally to 25 international awards, including 14 major awards and 11 special awards, with Al-Mutairi and Al-Sheikh contributing the two special awards from the ASC to Saudi Arabia’s award count.

The ASC holds a prestigious global position in chemistry discipline and annually presents special awards at ISEF to support outstanding scientific projects and encourage gifted students to innovate in chemistry and related scientific disciplines.

Student Projects in Carbon Conversion Highlight Saudi Success at ISEF 2025

Misk Al-Mutairi (General Directorate of Education in the Eastern Province) participated with a research project focusing on the synthesis and testing of novel copper-based nanocatalysts to selectively convert carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals, contributing to developing carbon economy (CE) technologies and reducing harmful emissions. Her colleague from the same directorate of education, Raghad Al-Sheikh, presented a promising project on developing efficient electrochemical catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion, potentially opening avenues for cleaner and more sustainable chemical industries.

These impressive results were achieved through a rigorous year-long scientific preparatory program for ISEF 2025 participants, conducted under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba). The program included diagnostic assessments, workshops, and training on presentation and communication skills, guided by a group of local and international experts.

Saudi Arabia, represented by Mawhiba in partnership with the Ministry of Education, has been participating in ISEF since 2007, earning 185 international awards, including 124 major awards and 61 special awards, reflecting the effectiveness of investment in gifted identification and fostering programs and enhancing the Kingdom’s global competitiveness in science, engineering, and innovation.

ISEF is the world’s largest pre-university scientific fair, held annually with thousands of students participating from over 70 countries, competing to present innovative research and projects across diverse disciplines, including engineering, medicine, physics, environmental sciences, computer science, artificial intelligence, and more.