JEDDAH, Dec 4(Arab News): Four talented Saudi women working together won top prize in a competition at a deco fair for interior design. Saudi graduates from government and private colleges participated.

The women are graduates of King Abdulaziz University and Dar Al-Hekma College. Ghazal Ka'aki, Radwa Kabli, Nadia Ibrahim and Jumana Azmarli presented the winning design of a living room that satisfies the needs of a Saudi family. They received the top award in addition to a cash prize of SR15,000.

The competition, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, targeted fresh graduates aiming to promote their ideas and show their talent in interior design.

The competition was held as part of Decofair, a furniture, decoration and home accessories exhibition that opened on Nov. 28 at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.

The four-day event showcased designs of local and international interior designers under one roof. Decofair presented leading international furniture brands from different countries such as Italy, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

In the competition, a group of men and women who worked together on one project — Abdullah Bin Sahl, Abdulkarim Al-Khuwailidi and Muna Abbas — received the runners-up prize and SR10,000 cash.

Abdullah Marei Bin Mahfouz, deputy chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presented each participant with SR5,000 from a SR25,000 fund.

Ahmad Al-Senousi, general manager of the Uni-decor Company, also announced a fund of SR150,000 to be given as loans for youths who want to start a project but do not have financial resources.

“This amount will help new designers establish their own projects. It is also an opportunity for them to market their talent. Competitors are mostly fresh graduates looking to promote their ideas and show their talent to people who are interested in interior design. We will present the financial support for them as loans,” he added.

Hia Al-Sindi, the expo organizer, confirmed the event’s success, saying it attracted more than 10,000 visitors. “The international competition also attracted a large number of talented people. Around 160 young designers participated. The arbitration committee chose only 25 designers for the finals,” she said.

“For the first time in the Kingdom we also used phone votes. Zain Company cooperated with us, allowing people to vote via SMS.”

According to Al-Sindi, 7,000 voted, and the winners got 1,374 votes while the second-placed team got 1,288 votes.