The Dubai-it Award has officially opened nominations for its inaugural edition, inviting individuals, projects, companies, and organizations to submit their entries. The nomination window runs from August 10 to September 10, 2026, providing a platform to recognize those who have achieved significant results in alignment with the “Dubai-it” philosophy. The initiative was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to reflect the city’s core philosophy of action: “we say what we do, and we do what we say.” This vision aims to embed a culture of excellence across institutions and future generations, driving Dubai’s ongoing transformation.
Operating under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, the award celebrates those who have achieved according to the highest standards. The award is aimed at anyone who has contributed to turning extraordinary ideas into reality, ambitions into achievements, and visions into results that can be seen; whether they are an individual, a project, an organisation or a company.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of The Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, noted that the award draws its vision from the leadership experience of Sheikh Mohammed in transforming big ideas into tangible reality. He emphasized that the award serves as a force to keep the city’s philosophy of action alive, visible, and moving forward. It is designed to pull people toward action, spotlighting those who lead, build, transform, and deliver results that shape the future of the emirate.
The Dubai-it Award functions as an annual cycle that identifies, documents, and celebrates the achievements shaping Dubai’s progress. It also engages individuals and institutions in highlighting achievements delivered in record time, so that every success becomes a new chapter in Dubai’s inspiring story. By recognizing these milestones, the initiative ensures that the spirit of innovation remains at the forefront of the city’s development.
The award is presented across three core segments: Individuals, Projects, and Institutions & Companies. It recognizes those who have embodied the “Dubai-it” philosophy, which is defined as achieving something extraordinary with excellence in record time. The annual cycle, which runs from September to May, is dedicated to celebrating the individuals who led the achievement, the projects that created transformation, and the institutions that supported these goals.
Throughout the annual cycle, the award highlights strategic fields that reflect Dubai’s development journey. These fields include Government, Real Estate, Economy, Business, Technology, Sports, Society, Education, Services, and Health. Across the annual cycle, each field is spotlighted at defined moments, creating a continuous platform to recognise exceptional achievement across Dubai’s most important sectors.
The months of June, July, and August are designated for receiving and evaluating nominations for the next edition, ensuring that the awards continue to reflect the latest progress. This structure represents Dubai’s defining moment of recognition for exceptional achievers. It is the moment every dedicated doer works toward: those who act with the spirit of Dubai, create impact worthy of its name, and add a new achievement to Dubai’s record of exceptional accomplishments.
For the first edition, nominations will include achievements, projects, initiatives, and transformations delivered within the recent period. From the second edition onwards, nominations will cover achievements made during the last 24 months of each cycle, thereby ensuring the award remains up-to-date and focused on recent accomplishments that have yielded clear, measurable results.
The ‘Dubai-it Award’ allows anyone to nominate individuals, projects, organisations, and companies that have embodied the philosophy in their work. Individuals, organisations, and companies can nominate themselves or others, specifying the field under which the achievement falls, through the official digital platform. The award is designed to be open, ambitious, and inclusive, recognizing those who led, built, transformed, delivered, and created results that define the modern era of the city.
To be eligible for the award, a complete application must be submitted via the digital platform, detailing the nominee’s achievement, its impact, and the methodology used. The nomination must include a clear explanation of the achievement, the challenge or opportunity that prompted it, and the specific steps taken to overcome obstacles and achieve success in record time.
Supporting evidence and data must also be attached, including performance indicators, figures, reports, pictures, media materials, and testimonials. These documents are essential for the jury to assess the scale and quality of the work. Nominations are subject to a thorough review and evaluation process to verify the completeness of the information, the credibility of the data, and the overall alignment with the criteria.
The evaluation stage may involve meetings or interviews with nominees or parties associated with the achievement to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the project’s impact. By maintaining such rigorous standards, the Dubai-it Award ensures that only the most transformative and impactful contributions are recognized, further cementing Dubai’s reputation as a global hub for excellence and innovation.
Together, they represent the engines of Dubai’s progress, the spaces where transformation happens, and the platforms through which Dubai continues to raise the standard of what can be achieved.
It shows where transformation is happening, who is leading it, and how bold ideas become outcomes people can see, feel, and build upon across the city, the economy, and society.
Excellence in Execution: This criterion looks at the level of professionalism in planning and delivery, the quality of outcomes, the attention to detail, and the commitment to the highest standards.
Speed and Efficiency of Delivery: This criterion looks at the ability to turn an idea or vision into tangible results in record time, without compromising quality or excellence.
It considers the speed of decision-making, the efficiency of resources, and the ability of the individual, team, institution, or project to compress time, accelerate delivery, and achieve results with discipline and effectiveness.
Embodying Dubai’s Philosophy of Work: This criterion looks at how deeply the achievement reflects Dubai’s way of working: bold ambition, fast movement, agile execution, a distinctive experience, and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities.
It considers how closely the achievement is connected to Dubai’s belief in action over waiting, results over promises, and execution over slogans.
Turning Vision into Tangible Results: This criterion looks at the ability to translate a vision, idea, or ambition into a clear, practical reality with outcomes that can be seen, measured, and proven.
It considers the clarity of outputs, the evidence behind them, and the extent to which they have become an impact people can see or feel across the city, sector, institution, or community.
Impact is not measured by numbers alone.
Sustainability and Potential to Grow: This criterion looks at the ability of the achievement to continue, grow, scale, and evolve beyond the moment of launch or delivery.
The award receives nominations via the approved nomination form on its digital platform, ensuring that data is properly documented, requirements are met, and all nominations are reviewed in accordance with a uniform and clear procedure.
Source: Gulf Today
