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Recognition
Awards decided by an independent jury against published criteria, so a win carries weight with clients, investors and regulators alike.
All events
A Nakoda AI flagship event
Luminarythe awards night for AI
In the spirit of the Oscars, Luminary celebrates the people, teams and products moving AI forward in the UAE and the wider region, with one evening that puts their work in the spotlight.
- DatesTo be announced
- VenueTo be announced
- HostNakoda AI
What Luminary is
An awards programme with a ceremony at its centre, built on three commitments.
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The evening
A gala ceremony that brings founders, enterprise leaders, government and investors into one room for one night.
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The record
Every finalist and winner covered by Nakoda News, giving each story a lasting, searchable home after the night itself.
Award categories
The proposed categories. The final list is confirmed with the jury before nominations open.
AI Leader of the Year
An executive whose decisions moved an organisation, or a sector, forward with AI.
AI Startup of the Year
A young company with real customers and a product that solves a hard problem.
Enterprise AI Transformation
An organisation that took AI from pilot to everyday operations at scale.
AI in Government
A public-sector programme that improved a service for residents and businesses.
Responsible AI
Governance, safety and transparency work that others can learn from.
AI Product of the Year
A product people use every day, built with care and measurable results.
AI Research Excellence
Research from the region with impact beyond it.
AI for Good
AI applied to health, climate, education or inclusion, with outcomes to show.
Emerging AI Talent
An engineer, researcher or founder early in their career, already making a difference.
How it works
- 01
Nominate
Put forward a person, team or product - your own or someone else's.
- 02
Shortlist
Nominations are reviewed against each category's criteria.
- 03
Judging
An independent jury scores the shortlist and selects the winners.
- 04
Ceremony
Finalists and winners are celebrated on the night and covered by Nakoda News.
Nominate, partner or attend
Tell us who deserves the spotlight, or how you would like to be part of the night as a partner, sponsor, juror or guest. We will keep you posted as dates are confirmed.