Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on Sunday honoured 10 Ahel Al Himmeh winners in a ceremony at the Roman Amphitheatre in downtown Amman.

Starting June 10, the public voted for the 10 winners through their mobile phones, sending more than 600,000 SMSs.

Ahel Al Himmeh celebrates the 10th anniversary of His Majesty King Abdullah's assumption of his constitutional powers by honouring individuals who have made substantial contributions to their community's development. Yesterday's event was attended by a number of dignitaries, members of the Royal family, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, Senate President Zeid Rifai, Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi, ministers, senators and members of the Ahel Al Himmeh selection committee and thousands of citizens.

Queen Rania commended the finalists for their commitment to uplifting their communities and expressed hope that their hard work would inspire others to follow suit.

The Queen commended His Majesty's King Abdullah commitment to investing in the people of Jordan and his continuation of King Hussein's legacy.

The 10 Ahel Al Himmeh winners will each receive JD30,000 in support of their cause, as well as 10 university scholarships in each of their names.

In a synchronised performance that anticipated the announcement of the 10 winners at the award ceremony, the Jordan Armed Forces band accompanied the Misk, Jaloudi and Hanouneh dance troupes in a choreographed dabke, followed by live percussion and traditional bagpipers.

A “hip hop” routine that included acrobatic moves then set the tone for a more contemporary performance, which was followed by Omar Abdullat's “Keif Al Himmeh” song.

The show ended with a live performance by Abdullat and Tony Qattan, who sang “Ahel Al Himmeh”, the official theme song of the initiative.