Dubai Municipality calls on UAE residents to choose their favorite camel

From now until March 29, fans of the 80 hand-painted fiberglass camels which are currently adorning the streets and public spaces of Dubai can visit the www.camelcaravan.ae website and cast a ballot for their favorite member of the camel herd in three categories: 'Fun and Family,' 'Art and Beauty,' and 'Heritage and Culture.'

In recognition of the extensive support that Dubai Municipality has provided the project, including access to the public space in which the camels are displayed, the Camel Caravan team today also officially delivered the Dubai Municipality camel, entitled Camel About Town, to the department's senior management.

Dubai Municipality has encouraged the 'art meets charity' project through providing special authorization and licensing around the camels' creation and public exhibition.

'In facilitating our goal of improving the quality of life for Dubai's residents, we recognized very early on the potential that the Camel Caravan could deliver here in terms of beautifying our streets, benefiting local charities, and generally raising awareness about both the arts community and people in need of philanthropic assistance,' said Ahmed Abdul Kareem, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture Department, Dubai Municipality.

'We've received such a strong public response about the diversity of camels 'roaming Dubai' that Dubai Municipality created the People's Choice awards to give Dubai residents a chance to vote online for their favorite painted camels. We also want to reward the artists behind the project and ideally raise interest in the public auction of all of the Camel Caravan so that the charities involved receive the maximum amount of funding possible from the sale of the camels themselves,' he added.

Click to pick your favorite camel today
As part of the Dubai Municipality-sponsored People's Choice awards, a majority of the camel herd will be on display in a geographic area that extends from the Defense roundabout to the Trade Center roundabout on Sheikh Zayed Road, all along Diyafah Street toward the Union House roundabout, and down the Jumeirah Beach Road.

Voters can spot their favorite dromedaries on these public streets, or scan photographs of each large camel at the www.camelcaravan.ae website. After a quick online registration, online visitors can cast one ballot in each of the three categories, selecting their favorite camel that represents 'fun and family,' 'art and beauty,' and heritage and culture.'

The votes will be tallied in time for the Camel Caravan's gala fundraising event on the 29th March 2004, where more than 40 camels will be auctioned to raise money for children's charities and for the development of arts and culture in Dubai. The Dubai Municipality will present awards to those artists who created the three winning camels, as well as a prize to one lucky voter selected at random during the balloting process, at Dubai Internet City on 30th March 2004.

'Not only does the People's Choice Awards give the UAE community a voice in selecting their favorite camels from the herd, it also gives potential buyers an opportunity to consider which artwork they might like to bid for during the Camel Caravan auction,' said Ken Palmer, Project Director from Dubai-based ArtWorks, the driving force behind the Camel Caravan initiative.

'The Dubai Municipality has consistently delivered real encouragement and assistance for what is a 'first-ever' effort in Dubai and in the Middle East as a whole. The Camel Caravan team and ultimately, the charities that will benefit from this initiative, owe Dubai Municipality a significant vote of thanks, which is why we've gifted the department with its own camel as a tangible sign of our appreciation,' added Patricia Palmer.

For two weeks after the People's Choice awards ceremony and gala event, individuals and corporations can bid online for their favorite camel via the Camel Caravan's official website, www.camelcaravan.ae. Funds raised will benefit organizations including Al Noor Center for Special Needs; Emirates Children's Symphony Orchestra; Afghan Children's Fund, Dubai Autism Center; Dubai Center for Special Needs; Médecins Sans Frontières; Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, and Riding for the Disabled Association of Dubai.

Following the gala event and awards ceremony, the entire collection of 80 camels will be on display for viewing by the general public at Dubai Internet City for up to one week.