Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council Launches the 6th Edition of Best Innovative and Creative Project Award in a New Fashion

Her Excellency Maryam Al-Rumaithi, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the ADBWC, said that the award is one the key initiatives of the Council and that, since its establishment, translated the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, and Honorary Chairwoman of the ADBWC, in adopting women’s creative and innovative ideas. “Since its launch in 2016, the Award has been well received by all quantitatively and qualitatively,” she said.

H.E. Al Rumaithi pointed out that following its successes over the past five years, the Award has become a means for participants to achieve entrepreneurship by transforming their creative ideas into integrated commercial models and increase competitiveness, and redrawing the business model and applying it successfully. 
“The Award works on supporting and encouraging creative and innovative talents from university graduates and entrepreneurs to come up with new project ideas and to support the ideas of the winning projects to enter the markets by providing them with the necessary services, training, and information and by embracing their ideas in order to transform them into real projects,” H.E. Al Rumaithi added.

Al Rimaithi added that the award provides technical and administrative support, proposes solutions and helps participants to acquire the ability to choose project ideas and to draw the work plan, thus, embracing the winning projects within the Creative and Innovative Business Incubators.
“The Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council provides the necessary support to push entrepreneurship towards high growth rates and competitiveness in regard to planning, sound preparation for ideas and projects by adopting an already internationally-approved business model by successful corporations. The award is complete program to prepare, direct and evaluate innovative and creative business ideas in the different sectors of the knowledge-economy, and to introduce them to the best practices and tools of entrepreneurship as well as make innovation a cornerstone in businesses, which would lead to realizing a sustainable development,” she stated.

Award Terms and Categories 

Dr. Shafiqa Al Ameri, Executive Director of the ADBWC, previewed the program of the award, saying that the award is aimed at women entrepreneurs, businesswomen and women owners of new and innovative business ideas and initiatives.

The award is made into three categories: the individual ideas category of women entrepreneurs of new innovative ideas and initiatives in businesses.
The second category includes collective ideas of sets of no more than five women in each group and are governed by the same conditions and evaluation standards. Each woman in any group can apply for the award individually as well.

The third category is the outstanding woman entrepreneur, in which winners of previous editions of the award can submit their ideas. The same conditions and evaluation standards apply.

The award focuses on priority sectors that go in line with the approaches of the UAE including the technological sector, renewable energy, space, the environment, water, health and safety, education, social responsibility and business continuity among others of development sectors.

It is worth noting that 46 project ideas were submitted in 2019, while in 2020 there were 75 ideas, which is a 61% increase over the previous year. And by using the CANVAS model, it is projected that there will be a significant increase in the number of applications since the CANVAS model is easy to use and adopted internationally with more than five users globally. It pushes towards business innovation, helps initiative new business models with ease, fast and not expensive.
The terms and conditions for participating in the award, the applicant must register in the award online and complete all the required registration steps electronically and that the project idea must be creative or innovative, feasible, economically beneficial and executable.  

The Award

In regard to the mechanism of the award, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place winners will receive a certificate, a trophy and a cash prize of AED30,000, AED25,000, AED20,000, AED15,000 and AED10,000 respectively in addition to being nominated to enter the innovative and integrated business incubator. 

Registration door and award nomination will open on Wednesday, 21 April 2021 and the deadline for registration will be 5 September 2021. Shortlisting the applications will follow directly.

The assessment committee will commence its works on 6 September 2021 and will present its outcomes to the judges for approval on 4 October 2021. The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 26 October 2021.