Throughout the year, various institutions in the UAE announce open calls that enable artists, photographers, writers and designers to participate in an exhibition or receive financial support to produce their work.
This year, Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point publishing grant has returned to further the publishing practices in the region, a critical component of culture. The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award is also accepting applications for its November 2022 presentation.
New competitions have also been launched in light of Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE’s Golden Jubilee. Canon has partnered with the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (Hipa) to promote visual storytelling practices focused on sustainability, while the National Bank of Fujairah has created an award for emerging and established artists who wish to celebrate UAE National Day through art.
Here are five ongoing opportunities for artists and creatives in the UAE and the region to consider.
Focal Point publishing grant
As part of Sharjah Art Foundation’s (SAF) annual art book fair, the organisation provides grants of up to $30,000 (Dh110,000) and support for the production and distribution of printed matter. Every year, SAF announces its open call for art and cultural scholars, independent publishers, collectives and public institutions to submit their proposals for a publishing project.
These can range from long-form essays of original research to small publications, including avante-garde and artistic material, as well as cookbooks, travelogues, geography books, art zines, comics, graphic novels and other types of material.
The chosen project will receive support from SAF in terms of planning, producing and distributing their work, and the titles will be shown in time for the next Focal Point in December 2022. The deadline for submission is Monday, November 15.
More information is available on sharjahart.org
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2022
Established in 2012, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award is for young artists in the UAE who are interested in producing public art. Presented by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (Admaf), the award provides the winning artists with $10,000 (Dh36,700) to produce their work, which will be publicly exhibited in Abu Dhabi in November 2022.
Entrants can submit proposals involving various mediums, including photography, sculpture, installation, land art and video. The works can be shown indoors or outdoors.
The award was created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, an artist duo known for their environmental art and ambitious projects involving wrapping famous global landmarks. The recipient of the award will also receive a gift of $5,000 (Dh18,350) from Christo’s estate to fund future projects.
The deadline for applications is on Monday, January 31.
More information is available on nyuad-artgallery.org
Moments that Matter photography competition
Canon, in collaboration with Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (Hipa), has launched its photography competition for photographers in the UAE and around the world.
The competition Moments that Matter seeks to promote visual storytelling that has a positive impact. This year’s theme is focused on sustainability. Participants are asked to submit five images that reflect on sustainability across four issues, economic (“moments that develop us”), human (“moments that heal us”), environmental (“moments that make us”) and social (“moments that save us”).
Open to photography enthusiasts over the age of 18, the award offers prizes of $8,000 (Dh29,000) in cash, gold coins and Canon equipment. The works of shortlisted candidates will be exhibited at the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai next year.
Judges for the competition include Fiona Shields, head of photography at Guardian News & Media; Kathy Moran, the deputy director of photography for National Geographic magazine; Aida Muluneh, Canon ambassador and founder and director of Addis Foto Fest; Brent Stirton, Canon ambassador and senior photographer at Getty Images, and Muhammed Muheisen, Canon ambassador, National Geographic photographer and founder of Everyday Refugees.
Entries are accepted until Friday, January 28.
More information is available on the Canon website.
UK-UAE Cultural Professionals Connect grant
The British Council is accepting applications for its UK-UAE Cultural Professionals Connect grant, aimed at fostering creative exchange between the UK and UAE through art and culture.
A total of eight grants of up to £5,000 (Dh25,000) will be awarded to creative practitioners, artists, art and cultural organisations and collectives who propose collaborations between the two countries via artistic and cultural activities. Ideas for knowledge exchange and building of skills are also welcome.
Submissions must come from one UK and one UAE applicant. The proposed projects must be able to be completed by March 2022. Grants are open to forms of film, literature, music, theatre, dance and visual arts.
The deadline for applications is on Monday, November 15.
More information is available on the British Council website
NBF Art Competition
The National Bank of Fujairah (NBF) has launched a nationwide art competition for emerging and established artists to submit artwork ideas to celebrate the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.
For the NBF Art Competition, artists can share ideas that express the UAE’s progress over the past 50 years and to look ahead into its future, 50 years from now. The mediums can range from drawings, paintings, digital art, poetry and sculpture.
The competition is open to all UAE residents aged 18 and above. A total of 10 winners will be chosen, with the top three winning artists to receive up to Dh12,000 in cash. The winning artwork will also be showcased in the bank’s main offices.
Judges include Dr Hamed Al Suwaidi, the founder of Abu Dhabi Arts Society; Ahmed Al Rashid, the founder of Talk Curated Creative Events company; Sultana Karim, an Emirati artist and fashion designer; Peter Gressman, curator and founder of Art Forum UAE; Slava Noor, founder of Arte & Lusso online magazine; and Anna Morrow, curator of Morrow Collective.
Applications are open until Sunday, November 14.
More information is available on the NBF website
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Mobile phone packages comparison
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Jawan
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Company%20Profile
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