JEDDAH: The Victoria and Albert Museum's Islamic Art Gallery, which is named after the late Saudi businessman Abdul Latif Jameel, has announced a £25,000 international art prize for contemporary artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions of craft and design.

The Jameel Prize aims to raise awareness of the thriving interaction between contemporary practice and the rich artistic heritage of Islam, and to contribute to a broader debate about Islamic culture, an official statement said. The Prize will be awarded every two years, it added.

Over 100 nominations for the first Jameel Prize were received, and nine artists and designers have been short-listed by a panel of judges. The first winner of the prize will be announced at an awards ceremony at the V&A on July 7, 2009. Work by the winner and by the other eight short-listed artists and designers will be exhibited in a new temporary display gallery at the V&A from July 8 until September 13, 2009.

The output of the nine artists and designers is very varied, reflecting the richness and diversity of the Islamic traditions that inspired them. The pieces exhibited at the V&A will range from jewelry to photomontage, turned wood and screen prints. The works will show how dynamic Islamic tradition can be, and how complex and eloquent the art and design inspired by this tradition has become.

The Jameel Prize is sponsored by Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, who conceived the idea after providing the financial support for the renovation of the V&A's Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which opened in July 2006.

Award-winning architect Zaha Hadid is a patron of the Jameel Prize. The panel of judges is chaired by Mark Jones, director of the V&A. The judges are: Jananne Al-Ani, artist, Khaled Azzam, CEO, The Prince's School of Traditional Arts, London, Ali Yussef Khadra, editor-in-chief, Canvas Magazine, Dubai, Charles Merewether, art historian and curator, Venetia Porter, curator, Middle Eastern Department, British Museum, and Parviz Tanavoli, sculptor.