Dubai, UAE, 21 January 2025: Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences announced the winners of its prestigious educational awards for 2024. These accolades celebrate exceptional contributions to education at both local and international levels, recognizing outstanding individuals, schools, and institutions that have made significant strides in advancing educational practices and supporting gifted students.

On the local level, 42 winners were honored across six categories: Distinguished Student, Distinguished Teacher, Distinguished School, Distinguished Educator, Distinguished Undergraduate University Student, and Education Supporting Institutions. The awards reflect the Foundation’s commitment to fostering a culture of excellence and innovation in education within the UAE.

His Excellency Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, remarked: “We have followed with great admiration the remarkable contributions of various elements of the educational ecosystem—students, teachers, educators, schools, and organizations supporting education—which have reflected exceptional levels of effort and an ambitious desire to ascend to the podiums of achievement. It is truly a source of pride for us to witness a new cohort of 42 local award winners, who have worked diligently, persevered, and demonstrated a model to be emulated in their determination to excel and their pursuit of educational distinction.”

His Excellency added: “I extend my gratitude and appreciation to Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum, the Supreme President of the Foundation, for his continuous support, as well as to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Executive Management for their dedicated efforts. I also commend the commitment and precision of the judging panel members and acknowledge the role of our partners who contributed to the success of this cycle.”

His Excellency concluded by congratulating all the winners on their achievements and encouraged them to continue their journey of excellence.

A total of 194 participants from various emirates across the UAE competed at the local level in six categories. This year, 42 winners were recognized for their remarkable achievements, which deserve the highest appreciation.

In the Education Supporting Institutions category, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation won for its 'Madrasa E-Learning Platform' project, while the Abu Dhabi Civil Defense Authority was honored for its innovative educational project supporting institutions.

In the Distinguished School category, Um Ghafa Secondary School in Al Ain and GEMS Millennium School in Sharjah stood out for their exceptional contributions and achievements.

In the Distinguished Educator category, the award was presented to Sama Mohammed Ali Al Dhahli from the Emirates Schools Establishment, Maryam Hussein Al Loghani from Al Hijra School, Sheikha Salem Al Hafiti from Zayed Educational Complex in Bidya, and Huda Saeed Al Dhohouri from Muadh Bin Jabal Boys School.

In the Distinguished Teacher category, the winners were Hanan Mahmoud Mousa Bouadi from Emirates National Schools and Wafaa Eid Shahada Abu Qudairi from Al Ebdaa Basic Education School.

For the Distinguished Undergraduate University Student category, Meera Abdullah Ahmed Al Harmoudi from the University of Sharjah was recognized for academic excellence, while Khalid Abdul Fattah Ahmed Qazali from UAE University and Hamed Abdullah Ali Al Bastaki from Khalifa University were honored for their non-academic achievements.

On the international level, Hamdan Foundation announced the results of the World Giftedness Center Awards, which included the Applied Research Global Award of Gifted Education and the School Global Award Initiative of Gifted Education. The Applied Research Global Award of Gifted Education received nine submissions from nine countries. The winning research, titled 'Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Gifted Students and Their Education: Patterns and Determinants,' was conducted by Australian researchers Jay Yip Yang and Jiheon Lee. For the School Global Award Initiative of Gifted Education, two initiatives were submitted, one from Saudi Arabia and the other from India, highlighting innovative practices in supporting gifted students.

The awards aim to support ongoing efforts to create a better educational environment for gifted students worldwide, leveraging global expertise and best practices in the field and promoting their dissemination. The evaluation process for these awards is conducted by an international jury comprising renowned experts in these areas.