Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has honoured the winners of the 2026 Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award at a ceremony held at Expo City Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed presented awards to outstanding federal entities, government leaders and employees for their contributions to public sector excellence.
He also conferred the Mohammed bin Rashid Sash on Sheikh Surour bin Mohammed, recognising his decades of distinguished national service and contributions to the UAE's development.
“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 his contributions to the country's progress over many decades of his life,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X.
“We congratulate all the winners on their excellence awards, which we introduced more than 30 years ago as a new concept in our country. We will continue this journey because excellence is not a goal, but a mindset and a culture,” he said.
“It is a mindset that strives for perfection without ever reaching it, one that constantly redefines success and has the courage to embrace continuous change and experimentation. Excellence is one of the virtues of good governance.”
Among the individual winners, Iman Mohammed Al Khouri received the Prime Minister's Medal for Best Teacher, while Maimouna Hashem Al Muaini, principal of Zayed Educational Complex in Dubai, was awarded the Prime Minister's Medal for Best School Principal.
AI and the future
Four new award categories were introduced, reflecting the UAE's growing emphasis on artificial intelligence and future readiness.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources won the award for Best Entity in AI Applications, while Abdullah Ghuloom Al Bastaki of the Federal Tax Authority received the Prime Minister's Medal for Best Chief AI Officer.
The ministries of Interior, Finance and Foreign Affairs were recognised as leading federal entities in sustained excellence, while the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation won the leading federal entity award for ministries with more than 500 employees.
Special recognition also went to the Ministry of Health and Prevention's organ donation programme, Hayat, and the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology's Make it in the Emirates initiative.
The 2026 event featured 10 main and subcategories for institutional awards and 13 Prime Minister's Medals, with more than 130 Emirati and international experts participating in the evaluation process.
The award, launched in 2009, is held every two years and is among the UAE's highest honours for government performance.
