Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award showcases innovation at Sheikh Zayed Festival
The prestigious Award returns to the Sheikh Zayed Festival 2026–2027 with an expanded programme of five thematic festivals and 97 competitions offering substantial prizes to celebrate agricultural excellence across the Emirates.
The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award will participate in the Sheikh Zayed Festival 2026–2027, which takes place from 30th October 2026 to 14th March 2027 in the Al Wathba area of Abu Dhabi. This continuation of its festival presence since the Award’s inaugural cycle affirms the festival’s significance as a vibrant community gathering that connects directly with farmers, livestock breeders, beekeepers, productive families, and agricultural professionals throughout the Emirates.
The Award’s participation represents a purposeful extension of its mission to cultivate and celebrate agricultural excellence whilst showcasing the remarkable achievements and innovative practices that have transformed the UAE’s agricultural, livestock, and food production landscape. Through this engagement, the Award endeavours to deepen its connection with the agricultural community, broaden the reach of its initiatives, and inspire producers to embrace sustainable and innovative methodologies that strengthen food security and advance the nation’s sustainable development objectives.
A comprehensive celebration of agricultural achievement
The Award’s dedicated pavilion presents a multifaceted programme encompassing five distinguished thematic festivals: the Food Festival, Livestock Festival, Flower Festival, Honey Festival, and Plant Festival. Accompanying these celebrations, the pavilion will host 97 competitions spanning diverse agricultural disciplines, offering competitive platforms that recognise excellence and encourage continuous advancement across all production sectors.
The competitions are meticulously distributed across the agricultural spectrum: 57 competitions for livestock, 14 dedicated to food production, 10 for honey excellence, 9 for floriculture, and 7 for plant cultivation. This comprehensive structure reflects the remarkable diversity inherent within the UAE’s agricultural sector whilst fostering positive competition and facilitating the exchange of expertise amongst producers.
Substantial recognition and incentives
Recognising achievement, the competitions offer aggregate prize money totalling up to 4 million dirhams benefiting approximately 550 winners. This substantial commitment underscores the Award’s dedication to supporting local producers, elevating the prominence of Emirati products, and establishing a cultural foundation of agricultural excellence throughout the community.
Mubarak Al Qusaili Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Festivals and Accompanying Competitions Committee, emphasised that the Award’s festival participation constitutes a paramount channel for direct engagement with the agricultural community. He highlighted that previous cycles have successfully introduced the Award’s objectives and celebrated the achievements of its winners, establishing the festival as an effective platform for disseminating best practices and encouraging the adoption of modern technologies.
The fifth cycle demonstrates a notable expansion in the accompanying festivals and competitions programme, reflecting the Award’s commitment to amplifying its societal impact and embracing broader segments of the agricultural community. This strategic development ensures enhanced opportunities for participation and achievement recognition, thereby supporting the nation’s agricultural development trajectory and aligning with the UAE’s resolute commitment to food security and sustainability.
Source: WAM