The Path to Recognition

Every Arabian Best of Best Award passes through a meticulous five-stage selection process designed to ensure that recognition is earned on merit, not influence. This is the same process applied uniformly to every nomination — from solo entrepreneurs to multinational corporations, in every industry and country we cover.

The integrity of this process is the single most important asset we have. It is why our laurel is recognized and respected across regional business circles, and why winning genuinely changes commercial outcomes for the brands that earn it.

The Five Stages

Our Independent Jury Panel

The Arabian Awards jury is composed of more than 40 senior practitioners drawn from across the GCC and beyond — former CEOs, sector specialists, regulatory veterans, and academic experts. Every juror is compensated for their time, prohibited from interacting with sponsors during evaluation rounds, and rotated regularly to prevent capture by any single firm or sector cluster. View the current jury panel for full biographies.

What the Jury Looks For

Across every industry, our jury applies the same five-pillar framework. Specific weightings vary by category — innovation matters more for technology awards than for established hospitality categories, for instance — but the overall structure is consistent:

• Market Impact (25%) — measurable commercial results, market share growth, customer outcomes, and the breadth of regional reach.
• Innovation (20%) — meaningful, defensible originality in product, service, business model, or operating approach.
• Financial Sustainability (20%) — evidence the business is built to last, not built to flame out. Audited financials are not required but are credited where supplied.
• Operational Excellence (20%) — quality of execution, depth of team, governance, and demonstrated ability to scale.
• Category-Specific Criteria (15%) — bespoke factors defined by the sub-jury for that specific category.

"Our entire model collapses if our jury isn't genuinely independent. So we treat it as the most important operational priority we have." — Arabian Awards Council

Conflict-of-Interest Policy

Jurors with any direct commercial relationship to a nominee — board seats, equity holdings, current or recent consulting engagements, family relationships — are recused from that category's evaluation. The recusal is logged. A backup juror from the same industry pool steps in. This policy is enforced strictly and audited internally each cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions About Selection

Is there a nomination fee?

A nominal administrative fee applies to nominations to cover research and processing costs. The fee is publicly disclosed at the time of submission. Sponsorship of the gala or any associated event has no influence on jury outcomes — and we will provide written confirmation of this on request.

Can I nominate myself or my own company?

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.

How are ties broken?

When two candidates score within 1% of each other, the head juror calls a brief jury reconvening to discuss qualitative differences. If the panel cannot reach consensus, both candidates are recognized — historically a rare outcome (fewer than five times in eight years).

Can I appeal a decision?

Final jury decisions are not appealable. However, all shortlisted candidates 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.

For any other questions about the Arabian Best of Best Awards selection process, please contact our team or visit the FAQ page. Ready to participate? Submit your nomination for the 2026 program.