ABU DHABI, 15th December, 2025 (WAM) -- The Supreme Committee of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award has announced the closure of registration for the main categories of the award’s fourth edition, in line with the previously announced 15th December deadline.
The Committee urged all applicants who completed preliminary registration via the official website (smaea.ae) to finalise their submissions and provide all required documentation before the deadline.
According to the award’s timeline, the evaluation and judging stages will now commence. The process begins with desk-based assessments to shortlist eligible applications, followed by field evaluations involving on-site visits to nominated categories to verify practices. Results will then be ratified by the Supreme Jury, culminating in the announcement of winners and their recognition at the Award’s closing ceremony.
The total value of prizes amounts to AED10 million, distributed across four main categories and 13 sub-categories, in addition to accompanying festivals and competitions.
The award's principal categories include: the “Best Farm and Best Livestock holder ” Award, comprising three sub-categories – Distinguished Farm, Livestock holder, and Youth Projects; the “Agricultural Technologies” Award, covering the Agricultural Technologies category; the “Commercial Farms” Award, comprising Plant Production and Animal Production categories; and the “Outstanding Female Farmer and Breeder” Award, which includes the Outstanding Female Farmer and Outstanding Female Breeder categories, underscoring the importance of empowering women and highlighting their role in strengthening food security.
Mouza Suhail Al Muhairi, Deputy Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority for Regulatory and Administrative Affairs and Chair of the Supreme Committee of the Award, affirmed that the award continues to attract growing interest from farmers, livestock breeders and commercial farms across the Emirates.
She said the sustained interest reflects the trust the award has built over previous editions as a national platform for promoting competitiveness and best agricultural practices.
Over its four editions, the award has become a key driver of sustainable agricultural development, stimulating innovation in plant and animal production, encouraging the adoption of advanced agricultural technologies, and enabling farmers and commercial farms to improve operations and boost efficiency and productivity.
Al Muhairi said the AED10 million prize fund provides long-term support to the national agricultural sector, reinforcing food security and driving continued development.
She added that the award’s broad range of categories is aligned with the needs of the UAE’s agricultural sector, noting that the dedicated category for female farmers reflects a commitment to empowering women as key contributors to agricultural development.
Al Muhairi also pointed out that the award’s participation this year in the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, through its dedicated pavilion and accompanying activities, offers an interactive platform for farmers to explore development opportunities and support provided by the award.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award is hosting a dedicated pavilion at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, where it is organising five specialised festivals and 77 accompanying competitions, in addition to a wide range of educational and awareness activities.