Dubai: Dubai is special. It turns dreams into reality. If you try, Dubai will reward you. And that is the magic of Dubai.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, introduced Dubai-it on June 17, 2026.
Defining it as a verb, Sheikh Mohammed explained what ‘Dubai-it’ means: “To Dubai-it is to achieve something extraordinary with excellence in record time. It’s about turning big ideas into reality, just like Dubai’s incredible transformation from desert to global city in a short span.”
The Dubai-it Award was launched under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, to celebrate achievements that demonstrate bold ambition, excellence, fast execution and lasting impact.
Sheikh Hamdan honoured the winners of the award at a ceremony in Expo City today (11.11.).
The winners were His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum for aviation leadership; Roads and Transport Authority in the government institutions category for infrastructure development; GDRFA Dubai’s Red Carpet project in the government project category for improving travel procedures; Emaar Properties in the real estate institutions category; Ziina in the business category for simplifying digital financial transactions; and SWS Board Technology in the economic projects category for manufacturing water skis, wakeboards and snowboards.
The winners also included FIX Dessert Chocolatier, Emirates NBD, Ahmed bin Sulayem (DMCC), Mahdi Amjad (OMNIYAT), Ounass, Charlie Wright (Humantra) and Chef Izu Ani.
Emirates 24/7 transformed its Dubai Is Special section into the Dubai-it section. The reasoning was simple: everyone has a story to tell. Everyone has their Dubai-it story.
From a person who arrived on its shores with nothing but hope, after despair had become routine, and found joy and security, to an aspiring entrepreneur who had tried hard but failed, Dubai provided an avenue for success. These stories embody the spirit of Dubai. They give us hope and keep us buoyed.
The stories reflect Sheikh Mohammed’s words: everyone in Dubai must be a lion or a gazelle, always moving forward, always striving. The spirit of Dubai-it lives in that determination.
As he said: “In the race for excellence, there is no finish line.”
A collection of stories was displayed at the Dubai-it Award ceremony, an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Emirates 24/7.