Burda Awards 2025: An Interactive Audio-Visual Experience

Objective

The Al Burda Award is a prestigious international initiative that honours the significance of poetry as a powerful artistic medium. It captures the noble life and unique character of the Prophet Mohammed through the beauty of language and eloquence of expression. For the 2025 edition, the award sought to modernise the way these poetic masterpieces were experienced. 

Challenge

• The “Static” Problem: Poetry is an auditory art form, yet it is traditionally displayed as static text on a page or wall. The client wanted to break this mould and allow visitors to “feel” the rhythm and emotion of the verses.
• Bilingual Accessibility: The exhibition needed to bridge the gap between Arabic-speaking poets and an international audience, ensuring that the beauty of the meaning was not lost in translation.
• Touchscreen Reliability: The installation was a centrepiece of the event; it had to be robust enough to handle thousands of interactions without lagging or crashing.

Solution

1. Strategic UI/UX Design

• The “Digital Scroll” Aesthetic: We designed the interface to mimic the flow of a traditional scroll but with a futuristic twist. The UI utilised elegant Arabic typography that animated in sync with the audio, creating a mesmerising visual rhythm.
• Language Toggles: A seamless AR/EN switch allowed users to instantly toggle between the original Arabic recitation and the English translation, making the profound meanings accessible to non-Arabic speakers.

2. High-Performance Development (HTML5)

• Audio-Sync Engine: We built a custom HTML5 frontend capable of handling high-fidelity audio tracks. The system allowed users to select a winning poem and listen to a professional recitation while following the text on screen.
• Zero-Latency Touch: The application was optimised for large-format touchscreens, ensuring that every tap and swipe responded instantly, providing a premium, “museum-grade” user experience.

Results

Conclusion