The Board of Trustees of the Emirati Article Award announced the winners of its inaugural edition during a press conference held recently at the Dubai Press Club.
According to revealed statistics, female participants led in submissions, accounting for 58 entries compared to 46 from their male counterparts. Notably, women also claimed the majority of awards, securing the largest share of recognition in this first edition of the Emirati Article Award.
Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Award, announced the winners of the inaugural edition. Alanoud Saeed Al Muhairi received the Social Article Award for her piece titled “Dubai’s Chocolate”, while Dr. Badia Khalil Al Hashemi was awarded the Literary Article Award for her article “The Identity of Man and Place in the Emirati Novel”.Maryam Ali Al Balushi earned the Economic Article Award for her insightful contribution, “Climate Change… Sustainability is at the Heart of the UAE’s Economic Agenda”.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saeed Hassan Ali was announced as the winner of the Political Article Award for his article “Emirati Soft Power… A New Global Concept”. Sheikha Salem Hamad Al Kaabireceived the Scientific Article Award for her piece “Reshaping the Future”. Mona Khalifa Al Hamoudi won the Intellectual Essay Award for her thought-provoking article “The Dynamic Emirati Citizen… The Philosophy of Change Rooted in a Transforming World”.
The Award’s Board of Trustees also honoured esteemed writer Ali Obaid Al Hameli with the “Emirati Article Pioneer Award 2025” a new category introduced this year to recognizetrailblazers in the field.
The award for youngest participant in the Intellectual Article category went to Amal Abdulaziz Mohammed (15 years old) for her piece “The UAE: Where Tolerance Creates the Miracle of Coexistence”. In the Scientific Article category, the youngest participant award was presented to Mahra Mohammed Al Azizi for her article “A Virtual World Towards the Future”.
Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdullah announced that the winners will be honoured at an awards ceremony scheduled for 26 May, coinciding with UAE Media Day. He also revealed that the Board of Trustees has approved the introduction of two new award categories starting next year: an Artistic Category, encompassing theatre, music, and various visual arts, and a “An Article on the UAE by Resident” pinned by residents living in the country. Additionally, a third award for youth under the age of 18 will be introduced to further encourage young talent and nurture a culture of writing among the younger generation.
He said: “This year, we received more than 100 submissions—far exceeding our expectations, especially since we initially estimated no more than 40 entries in the first edition.” Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdullah described this as a success not only for the Emirati Article Award and the Dubai Press Club, but also for the Emirati writer, who embraced the award as a platform to share their voice.
“Our goal is to expand participation and elevate the Emirati writer to a global platform. We are truly overjoyed by this remarkable success”, he said. The Dubai Press Club has pledged increased support for the award, both financially and editorially, announcing that the prize value will rise from Dh10,000 to Dh20,000 starting next year.
The Chairman of the Award’s Board noted that a special workshop was organised in collaboration with the Dubai Press Club to further develop the skills of Emirati writers and enhance their contributions to journalistic writing.
