UAE
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Honored with the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award – 19th Cultural Achievement Award (2024–2025): His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, has been awarded the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Achievement Award in the 19th edition (2024–2025) of the prestigious Achievement Awards, in recognition of his exceptional global contributions to culture, knowledge, and human development.
The Board of Trustees of the award stated, “This honor celebrates thought, not titles—vision, not position. After profound reflection on His Highness’s unparalleled journey and its deep impact on culture, development, and humanity, the Board unanimously decided to confer the Cultural Achievement Award upon Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, whose life has been a testament to generosity, progress, and the belief that humanity is the cornerstone of every great endeavor.”
According to the statement, Sheikh Mohammed’s decades-long journey is more than a record of accomplishments—it is a visionary legacy that transforms knowledge into a tool for change, peace into a global ethos, and giving into an everlasting value. Every project, institution, and initiative launched under his leadership has become a beacon of hope, creativity, and excellence.
The statement emphasized that this recognition celebrates a lifetime of achievements that shaped a new model of progress—one that merges humanity, knowledge, culture, economy, and peace to redefine the very concept of “achievement.”
Among Sheikh Mohammed’s many groundbreaking initiatives, the Board highlighted his Arab Reading Challenge, the largest reading initiative in the Arabic language worldwide. Launched in 2015, it has attracted over 163 million students from across the Arab world, embedding the culture of reading in younger generations and affirming His Highness’s belief that “reading is the foundation of intellectual and developmental renaissance.”
Another milestone is the “Arab Talents” (Nawabeh Al Arab) initiative, launched in 2022, which seeks to discover, empower, and celebrate exceptional Arab minds in science, technology, medicine, literature, and economics—restoring the Arab world’s influential role in global civilization.
Sheikh Mohammed also founded the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), to enrich the Arab world’s cultural and intellectual landscape and promote lifelong learning. This institution serves as a lighthouse of knowledge and creativity for future generations.
In 2020, His Highness launched “The Digital School”, the first fully integrated digital education platform of its kind, aimed at providing quality education to students in underprivileged regions through smart, flexible, and blended learning methods.
Moreover, Sheikh Mohammed established the Mohammed bin Rashid Award for the Arabic Language, underscoring his visionary efforts to preserve and modernize Arabic. Now in its ninth cycle, the award has become a global platform for linguistic innovation, ensuring Arabic remains a dynamic language capable of leading the future.
Beyond initiatives and institutions, Sheikh Mohammed’s literary and poetic works have enriched Arabic and global thought. His books—“My Vision,” “Flashes of Thought,” “Reflections on Happiness and Positivity,” “My Story,” “From Desert to Space,” and “Words of Wisdom”—offer profound insights into leadership, humanity, and the pursuit of excellence.
The Board of Trustees also praised his leadership in promoting cultural, artistic, scientific, and spiritual growth through initiatives like the Dubai International Holy Quran Award and the Nawabeh Al Arab Awards in various scientific and literary disciplines, which highlight the UAE’s leading role in fostering knowledge and culture regionally and globally.
In honoring Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Cultural Achievement Award recognizes a leader whose vision has transformed Dubai into a global capital of innovation, knowledge, and culture—and whose lifelong mission continues to inspire humanity toward a brighter, more inclusive future.
