Sixteen of the most common questions we receive about nominating, winning, and attending the Arabian Best of Best Awards.
Below are the questions most frequently asked about the Arabian Best of Best Awards — covering eligibility, evaluation, gala attendance, sponsorship, and the practical mechanics of winning. If your question isn't covered here, please contact our team directly — we respond to every credible inquiry, usually within 24 hours.
From eligibility and category selection to the gala logistics and post-win benefits — your full FAQ resource.
Contact UsAny company, startup, entrepreneur, or professional operating in — or significantly serving — the Arabian region is eligible. This includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and adjacent GCC markets. We accept entries across 200+ industry and country-specific categories, from solo founders to multinational corporations.
Yes. Every winner passes through a four-stage process: open nomination, internal research review, independent jury blind scoring, and final verification. Our jury is composed of senior industry practitioners — not sponsors. No participant has ever been required to pay sponsorship to win, and we will confirm this in writing to anyone who asks.
Absolutely. International companies with operations, branches, partnerships, distribution, or significant business interests in the Arabian region are welcome to enter relevant categories. Many of our most celebrated winners are global brands recognized specifically for their Middle East excellence.
Winners receive a hand-crafted luxury trophy, engraved brass plaque, gold winner medal, certificate of excellence, digital winner badge for web and email signatures, international PR coverage across regional media, social media features, and lifetime access to our alumni network of 1,000+ past winners. Full details on our Winner Benefits page.
Attendance at the Dubai Gala on 14 November 2026 is strongly recommended — the in-person trophy presentation, red carpet, and networking with regional business leaders are core to the recognition's value. However, it is not strictly mandatory. Winners who cannot attend receive their package via courier with a personalized acceptance video opportunity.
A nominal administrative fee applies to nominations to cover research and processing costs. The fee is publicly disclosed at the time of submission and is materially lower than comparable regional awards programs. Sponsorship has no influence on jury outcomes — sponsorship is a separate commercial track entirely.
From nomination to gala, the process spans approximately 8 to 14 weeks. Nominations open year-round but close two months before the gala. Shortlisted candidates are notified roughly six weeks before the ceremony, with final winners confirmed three weeks ahead of the Dubai event.
Yes. Self-nominations are welcome and are evaluated on identical criteria to third-party nominations. Roughly 60% of our annual nominations are self-submissions; 25% come from clients, partners, or peers; the remaining 15% are generated by our internal research team.
Yes — and many of our most celebrated winners are recognized in multiple categories in the same year. There is no penalty for entering multiple relevant categories. Each category is evaluated independently by its respective sub-jury.
Match your primary business activity to its most specific industry vertical first, then choose the category that most closely describes your actual operating focus. If unsure, contact our team with a brief description of your business; we'll suggest the categories most likely to be a strong fit.
Categories that recognize specific brands or businesses (like Hotel of the Year) are typically renewable, but only after a mandatory cooling-off period to ensure freshness in the cohort. Individual achievement awards (like CEO of the Year) are non-renewable for the same individual within a 3-year window.
Yes. All shortlisted candidates who do not win can request written feedback summarizing the jury's view on their nomination. We encourage participants to use this feedback to strengthen future submissions; we've recognized many candidates in subsequent years after they returned with a stronger application.
No general requirement. Specific categories have specific qualifying criteria (for example, Best Series A Startup requires a confirmed Series A round in the relevant period), but the program as a whole accepts entries from businesses of all sizes — from solo entrepreneurs to multinational corporations.
The Dubai Gala convenes 800+ executives, founders, royals, diplomats, and media from over 100 countries. Past attendees include senior representatives from Etihad, Emaar, ADNOC, Saudi Aramco, Sabb, Qatar Investment Authority, and dozens of the region's most consequential family offices and corporate groups.
We offer a limited number of sponsorship slots across categories including Title Sponsor, Co-Sponsor, Category Sponsors, Cocktail Reception Sponsor, and Networking Lounge Sponsor. Sponsorship has no influence on jury outcomes. Visit our Sponsorship page or contact our partnerships team for details.
Yes. Every winner receives clear brand usage guidelines explaining how to use the Arabian Best of Best laurel across websites, packaging, advertising, and marketing collateral. Winners typically use the laurel for 12-24 months following recognition.
Join 1,000+ businesses that have already taken their place on the Arabian Best of Best stage. Nominations for the 2026 Gala close soon.