Sheikh Mohammed honours winners of 2026 Government Excellence Award

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, honoured the government entities, leaders and professionals who won the 2026 Mohammed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and His Highness 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 ceremony was organised by the UAE Government.

Also present were His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; along with a number of sheikhs, ministers, senior officials and government leaders.

The ceremony recognised federal entities that had achieved outstanding milestones in advancing government performance, as well as national leaders and professionals who had demonstrated exceptional dedication and excellence. It also honoured individuals behind exceptional achievements and projects that contributed to national priorities and strengthened the UAE's leadership and competitiveness.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid said: "Today, we witnessed the ceremony honouring the winners of the 2026 Government Excellence Award. We honoured the leading federal entities, the best directors and the best specialists in the federal government.

"The most memorable moment of the ceremony was honouring my brother, Sheikh Surour Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, with the Mohammed bin Rashid Sash, in recognition of his distinguished national career and contributions to the country's journey over several decades."

He added: "We congratulate all the winners of the excellence awards. We began this initiative more than 30 years ago as a new concept in our country, and we will continue it because excellence is not a goal; it is a mindset and a culture. It is a mindset that strives for perfection but never claims to attain it, constantly redefines success, and has the courage to embrace continuous change and experimentation. Excellence is one of the virtues of good governance."

Sheikh Mohammed honours Sheikh Surour with prestigious sash.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid presented Sheikh Surour bin Mohammed Al Nahyan with the Mohammed bin Rashid Sash in recognition of his distinguished national career, significant contributions to the establishment and development of the UAE and its institutions, and decades of service to the nation.

The honour recognises Sheikh Surour's national role during the country's founding and institution-building phase. He was among the UAE's prominent figures who accompanied the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in implementing his vision of building a modern state and developing vital sectors that became fundamental pillars of the UAE's comprehensive development and progress.

Sheikh Mohammed also honoured three government entities that won the Federal Entity Leading in Sustaining Excellence Award, in recognition of their success in making excellence a sustainable institutional approach and maintaining high standards of performance and continuous development. The winners were the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed honoured the winners in the main institutional categories of the Federal Entity Award.

The Federal Entity Leading Award for ministries with more than 500 employees went to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, while the award for ministries with fewer than 500 employees went to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism.

The award for federal entities with more than 500 employees went to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, while the award for entities with fewer than 500 employees went to the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.

The Most Improved Performance Award in the ministries category was jointly won by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Community Empowerment. The award in the federal authorities category went to the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed honoured the winners of the subcategories of the institutional awards.

The award for Best Entity Contributing to the UAE's Leadership and Competitiveness went to the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority.

The award for Best Entity in Adopting Innovative Solutions went to the Ministry of Interior, while the award for Best Entity in Delivering Distinctive Value went to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security.

The Ministry of Justice won the award for Best Entity in Developing Legislation and Laws.

The award for Best Entity in Partnership and Integration was jointly won by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs won the award for Best Entity in Proactiveness and Future Readiness, while the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources received the award for Best Entity in Artificial Intelligence Applications.

Sheikh Hamdan also honoured two projects under the Special Recognition for Projects category, in recognition of their tangible national impact and contributions to achieving the UAE's priorities.

The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology won for its Make it in the Emirates initiative, while the Ministry of Health and Prevention was recognised for its national Hayat Programme for human organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

The ceremony also recognised the winners of the Prime Minister's Medals for their contributions to advancing government performance and achieving outstanding accomplishments across various sectors.

Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed honoured the winners of the Prime Minister's Medals in the categories of Best Undersecretary, Best Director-General, Best Assistant Undersecretary, Best Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Best Executive Director and Best Department Director.

The Prime Minister's Medal for Best Young Employee went to Captain Sultan Mohammed Al Nuaimi of the Ministry of Interior.

Abdullah Talal Al Hammadi of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure received the medal for Best Employee in Future Jobs, while Abdullah Ghuloom Al Bastaki of the Federal Tax Authority won the medal for Best Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. 

The medal for Best Undersecretary went to Eng. Sharif Salim Al Olama of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Fatima Abdullah Al Jabri of the Central Bank of the UAE received the medal for Best Director-General, while Dr Mohammed Al Hammadi of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment won the medal for Best Assistant Undersecretary.

Abdullah Ahmed Al Naqbi of Emirates Health Services received the medal for Best Executive Director.

The medal for Best Department Director was jointly awarded to Colonel Mohammed Abdullah Abu Shehab of the Ministry of Interior and Colonel Mohammed Abdullah Bu Rahima of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed honoured the winners of the Prime Minister's Medals in the categories of Best Ambassador, Best Female Ambassador, Best School Principal, Best Teacher, Best Doctor, Best Government Communications Director, Best Customer Happiness Employee and Best Specialist Employee.

Ahmed Waheeb Al Attar, UAE Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, received the medal for Best Ambassador.

Dr Al Sagheera Wabran Hamad Al Ahbabi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay, won the medal for Best Female Ambassador.

Maymouna Hashem Al Muaini, Principal of Zayed Educational Complex in Dubai, received the medal for Best School Principal.

Iman Mohammed Al Khouri of Riyadh School in Abu Dhabi won the medal for Best Teacher.

Dr Noura Salem Marzouq, a general practitioner at Al Qassimi Hospital, received the medal for Best Doctor.

Afra Mahash Al Hammadi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs won the medal for Best Government Communications Director.

Ali Abdulkarim of Emirates Health Services received the medal for Best Customer Happiness Employee, while Fatima Khalifa Al Enezi of the General Civil Aviation Authority won the medal for Best Specialist Employee.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award is the UAE's highest government excellence award and one of the key pillars of the country's government excellence framework. It aims to motivate government entities, leaders and professionals to achieve outstanding results, promote positive competition, exchange best practices and enhance the quality of government services.

The 2026 assessment cycle saw the participation of 30 federal government entities, with 57 leaders and 236 government employees nominated for the Prime Minister's Medals. More than 130 Emirati and international experts and assessors took part in the evaluation process.

The award adopted a comprehensive 360-degree assessment methodology focused on results and impact, measuring performance from the perspectives of government, society, customers and employees. The approach aims to enhance government efficiency and service quality.

The award builds on the UAE's longstanding journey of government excellence, which began with the establishment of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programme in 2006. The UAE continues to develop an integrated government framework based on excellence, innovation and proactiveness, delivering tangible results that positively affect people's lives and reinforce the country's position as a global model for government administration.