DOHA: Ten individuals were recognised yesterday for their humanitarian and environmental efforts, at the first Doha 21st Century Awards ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Celebrities Ben Kingsley and Josh Hartnett, filmmakers Danny Boyle and Christian Colson, professional tennis players Serena and Venus Williams, opera soprano Monica Yunus, Qataris Eman Ahmed Al Obaidli and Sara Mohammed Al Shamlan, and Palestinian Helen Shehadeh were the recipients of the 21st Century Leaders Awards.

Hartnett said his award spoke of what he can do for the future. Hartnett supports a number of worthy causes and has backed Global Cool, a charity focused on climate change, since its inception.

The 21st Century Leaders Foundation was started in 2003 by Charlotte di Vita MBE and leverages the influence of well-known figures of popular culture to promote and encourage positive change related to humanitarian and environmental issues facing the world today.

The Doha 21st Century Leaders event was launched on October 28 with various programmes hosted by the Grand Hyatt.

An auction, which raised more than a million dollars, followed the awards ceremony. The highest bid of $500,000 was for a painting by Sacha Jafri titled “Beckham – A Celebration”.

THE PENINSULA