The UAE has opened registration for the third edition of its National AI Award, and this year the focus is much sharper.
Agentic AI is now at the center of the award.
That matters because the UAE is not treating AI as a side project anymore. The country wants Agentic AI integrated into 50 percent of government sectors, services, and operations. Not someday. Not vaguely in the future. This is now part of the country’s next phase of government transformation.
The award was launched by the UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain and announced by H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications.
UAE National AI Award Moves Toward Agentic AI
The third edition of the UAE National AI Award is different from earlier rounds.
Previous editions focused more broadly on AI adoption and innovation. This time, the attention has shifted toward Agentic AI, a more advanced form of artificial intelligence that can act with greater autonomy, make decisions, and support complex tasks with less direct human input.
That does not mean replacing people overnight. The real story is more practical.
The UAE wants AI systems that can improve government services, cut delays, help teams make better decisions, and push public-sector operations beyond basic automation.
For a government that has spent years building its AI strategy, this award feels less like a trophy program and more like a progress check.
Five Categories Cover Government, Research, and Leadership
The award includes five categories covering different parts of the UAE’s AI ecosystem.
The first category is Excellence in Agentic AI-Powered Services, which focuses on improving public services through smarter, more efficient AI systems.
Another category, Agentic AI Solutions Developed in the UAE, highlights locally built AI products and platforms. This is important because the UAE is not only trying to adopt foreign AI tools. It also wants homegrown solutions with a clear national identity.
The third category is Best Government-Private Partnership in Agentic AI, aimed at collaborations between government entities and private companies. These partnerships could become one of the fastest ways to bring AI from pilot projects into real services.
There is also a category for Agentic AI Scientific Research, which recognizes academic and research work that advances the field.
The final category is AI Leader, which puts attention on individuals driving AI adoption inside government entities.
That last one says a lot. The UAE is not only measuring technology. It is also measuring leadership.
Who Can Apply for the UAE AI Award?
The award is open to federal, local, and semi-government entities, private-sector organizations, academic institutions, researchers, and individuals.
That broad eligibility makes the award more than a government-only initiative. It creates room for startups, universities, researchers, and AI teams working with public-sector partners.
Applicants will be judged on areas such as AI ethics, impact, scalability, AI maturity, and innovation.
Those criteria are not decorative. They show what the UAE wants from Agentic AI: systems that are useful, responsible, repeatable, and strong enough to move beyond small experiments.
Why This Award Matters Now
The timing is the bigger story.
In April 2026, the UAE set a two-year target to integrate Agentic AI across half of government sectors, services, and operations. That is an ambitious target, even for a country already known for moving fast on digital government.
Now, with the third National AI Award focused directly on Agentic AI, the government has created another way to identify who is actually making progress.
Awards can sometimes feel symbolic. This one may be more revealing.
The entries could show which agencies, companies, researchers, and leaders are building serious Agentic AI use cases. It could also show where adoption is still slow, cautious, or stuck at the pilot stage.
UAE’s Wider AI Strategy Keeps Expanding
The UAE has been building toward this for years.
The country created the Council for Artificial Intelligence in 2018 to help guide AI adoption across government and education. It also launched the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, which aims to make the country a global AI leader by 2031.
The National AI Award now fits into that broader strategy.
It gives visibility to AI projects that are already working. It rewards organizations taking the technology seriously. And it pushes the conversation away from AI hype and closer to actual implementation.
Agentic AI is still a developing space. Many organizations around the world are still trying to understand what it can do safely and reliably.
The UAE seems to be moving with a different question: who is ready to use it now?
