The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, announced the final list of students nominated to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at major international scientific events. The announcement included the names of 68 male and female students who will carry the nation's flag at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2026) in the United States, the Taiwan International Science and Technology Fair (TAISF), and the International Invention and Innovation Exhibition (ITEX) in Malaysia.
The journey of preparation: From 357,000 students to the elite
The inclusion of these talented individuals in the Saudi National Science and Engineering Fair was no accident; it was the culmination of a rigorous and intensive scientific journey that lasted a full year. This journey began with the participation of over 357,000 students from across the Kingdom, who submitted more than 34,000 scientific projects in 22 specialized fields.
Participants underwent rigorous selection and judging processes across six consecutive stages, including 16 regional exhibitions, followed by four central exhibitions, culminating in the "Creativity for Science and Engineering" exhibition, which showcased the top 200 projects. From these, the current elite were chosen after an intensive training camp held at the "Mishkat" Interactive Center in the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy in Riyadh, where they received advanced training to develop their presentation and scientific research skills.
Saudi Arabia at ISEF: A history of achievements
The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the world's largest science competition for pre-university students, with more than 1,600 students from approximately 70 countries competing annually. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a distinguished record in this event since its first participation in 2007, with its students winning 185 international awards, including 124 major awards and 61 special awards. This reflects the quality of the Kingdom's educational outcomes and gifted student programs, which align with the goals of Vision 2030 to build a vibrant society and a knowledge-based economy.
List of the Kingdom's representatives at ISEF 2026
The list includes 42 male and female creators who were nominated to compete in the United States, namely:
- Jumana Talal Bin Mohammed Bilal, Jana Ibrahim Farhan Al-Dossari, Abdullah Ahmed Tawfiq Al-Rashid, Fatima Mohammed Bin Issa Al-Saleem.
- Faisal Yousef Abdullah Al-Hanti, Lana Abdullah Ahmed Ibrahim Abu Talib, Mawada Tawfiq Abdo Awad, Nour Faisal Khader Al-Arjan Al-Atwi.
- Yara Abdulmajid Bin Abdulrahman Ababtain, Jad Daniel Muhammad Al-Ghazawi, Reem Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Mutawa, Faisal Saad Hamad Al-Abdulatif.
- Lana Waseem Mohammed Al-Aqqad, Mohammed Mustafa Bin Mohammed Al-Quraini, Mishari Badr Bin Mohammed Al-Dhaibani, Al-Jawhara Faisal Fahd Bin Zar’ah.
- Dalin Badr Bin Abdul Qadir Qadir, Reda Hani Bin Muhammad Al-Abdi, Zainab Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Aithan, Shaimaa Salah Al-Din Mahmoud Al-Katatni.
- Abdulrahman Basem bin Tariq Jamal, Imran Omar bin Abdulhamid Al-Turkistani, Fatima Hussein bin Ahmed Al-Muqrin, Faisal Sami Abdullah Al-Saeed.
- Lana Yahya Muhammad Nouri, Lin Mahmoud Muhammad Al-Nabulsi, Muhammad Nasser Fayez Al-Manea Al-Asmari, Maryam Nidal Abdul-Rab Al-Rasoul Habil.
- Munira Sulaiman bin Hamad Al-Rumi, Yara Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Qadi, Tala Hisham Nabil Awliya, Tamim Ibrahim bin Jamal Al-Din Khan.
- Jumana Ahmed Ali Al-Amoudi, Jana Ehab Ismail Harsani, Janine Musli bin Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Joan Rayan bin Ghazi Hindi.
- Sarah Mohammed Abdul Quddus Abu Al-Samh, Saleh Ahmed Saleh Al-Zaidani Al-Shahri, Lamar Hani Khairi Al-Agha, Mazen Mohammed Amir Ahmed Mazen Murad.
- His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Khalid bin Salman, Latin Hussein bin Ali Al-Ghamdi.
Candidates for the ITEX exhibition in Malaysia
The Kingdom will be represented at the International Exhibition of Inventions, Innovations and Technology by 18 male and female students, namely:
- Khaled Amjad Bakr Hanawi, Shahd Musfir bin Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Fares Ibrahim bin Mohammed bin Jardan, Anas Talal Abdullah Maloush.
- Abdulaziz Bader Ma’ayoud Al-Jaid, Abdullah Hashem Bin Taher Al-Nasser, Fahd Abdullah Fahd Al-Abdulkarim Al-Muammar, Lara Khaled Hassan Al-Tamimi.
- Lamar Basem Bin Hassan Bahakim, Nasser Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Sudais, Juliana Badie Bin Ali, Fares Ahmed Bin Ali Al-Jaafar.
- Lamar Hashem Mohammed Al-Habashi, Yara Faleh Bin Mohammed Al-Hatrashi Al-Shahrani, Al-Faisal Majed Bin Faisal Al-Gharibi.
- Jumana Bandar Bin Zayed Al-Zaidi, Sarah Marwan Nasser Al-Omran, Yousef Farid Bin Yousef Al-Khalawi.
Ambassadors of Creativity in Taif, Taiwan
The list also included 8 innovators to participate in the Taiwan International Science and Technology Fair, namely:
- Abdulaziz Waleed Omar Al-Muqrin, Nawaf Mahmoud Bin Salem Al-Ibrahim, Yousef Ibrahim Faisal Basyouni.
- Alia Ali Zaid Bashiri, Hassan Hamza bin Mohammed Sultan, Dana Salem Zaid Al-Tuwaili’i Al-Anzi.
- Rula Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Arini, Noor Basem bin Ahmed Al-Matouq.
