The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award is participating in the Sheikh Zayed Festival 2026–2027, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, during the period from 30 October 2026 to 14 March 2027, in the Al Wathba area in Abu Dhabi.
The Award’s participation in the Sheikh Zayed Festival comes as an extension of its continuous presence in the festival since the launch of its first cycle, as the festival constitutes an important community platform for direct communication with farmers, livestock breeders, beekeepers, productive families, and workers in the agricultural sector, thereby enhancing the Award’s role in entrenching a culture of agricultural excellence and showcasing national success stories, distinguished models, and leading practices that have contributed to the development of agricultural, livestock, and food production in the UAE.
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Strengthening connections with the agricultural community
Through its participation in the festival, the Award aims to strengthen its connection with the agricultural community, expand the reach and impact of its programs and initiatives, and motivate farmers, livestock breeders, beekeepers, and productive families to adopt innovative and sustainable practices, in a way that contributes to the development of the agricultural sector and reinforces its role in supporting food security and sustainable development, in addition to highlighting the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority in developing the agricultural sector and enhancing its sustainability.
In its dedicated pavilion at the festival, the Award hosts a diverse range of activities, festivals, and accompanying competitions, in addition to showcasing the projects of winners in the various Award categories and presenting models of innovative agricultural practices and community initiatives in the field of food security.
97 competitions and the cash prizes up to Dh4 million
The activities of the Award’s pavilion in the new cycle include five accompanying festivals: the Food Festival, the Livestock Festival, the Flower Festival, the Honey Festival, and the Plant Festival, alongside the organization of 97 competitions targeting various fields of agricultural, livestock, and food production.
These competitions offer cash prizes to winners with a total value of up to 4 million dirhams, for around 550 winners, providing a competitive platform to highlight the quality of local products and levels of excellence in production, and to encourage continuous development and innovation across different agricultural activities.
The competitions are distributed as follows: 57 competitions for livestock, 14 food competitions, 10 honey competitions, 9 flower competitions, and 7 plant competitions, reflecting the diversity that characterizes the agricultural sector in the UAE, and providing a broad space for positive competition, exchange of expertise, and showcasing best production practices, while contributing to supporting local producers, enhancing the status of Emirati products, and entrenching a culture of agricultural excellence at the community level.
For his part, Mubarak Al Qusaili Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Festivals and Accompanying Competitions Committee, affirmed that the Award’s participation in the Sheikh Zayed Festival represents one of the most important channels of direct communication with farmers, livestock breeders, beekeepers, and productive families, and contributes to strengthening the Award’s presence in the community and consolidating its mission aimed at spreading a culture of excellence, innovation, and sustainability in the agricultural sector.
He stated that, over previous cycles, the festival has constituted an effective platform for introducing the Award’s objectives and the achievements of its winners, and for highlighting national success stories and distinguished models in the fields of agricultural, livestock, and food production, in a way that enhances the exchange of expertise and encourages the adoption of best practices and modern technologies in the agricultural sector.
Developing the agricultural sector and enhance its contribution to achieving food security
He pointed out that the Award’s participation in the festival comes within the framework of its efforts to develop the agricultural sector and enhance its contribution to achieving food security and sustainability, by motivating farmers and local producers to develop their work, raise production efficiency and product quality, and encouraging community members and new generations to care about agriculture and local production as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development.
He explained that the activities of the Award’s pavilion, which continue throughout the period of the Sheikh Zayed Festival, contribute to entrenching a culture of agriculture among community members and new generations, and to raising awareness of the importance of the agricultural sector and its role in achieving food security. He called on farmers, livestock breeders, and owners of commercial farms to review the competitions on offer and participate in them to showcase the quality of their products and the extent of their commitment to innovation and sustainability standards.
He noted that the fifth cycle is witnessing an expansion in the program of accompanying festivals and competitions compared to the previous cycle, reflecting the Award’s keenness to broaden its societal impact and reach wider segments of farmers, breeders, and local producers, and to enhance their opportunities for participation and showcasing their achievements, in a way that supports the agricultural development journey and keeps pace with the UAE’s directions in achieving food security and sustainability.
The total value of prizes for the fifth cycle amounts to abouth D10 million
It is worth mentioning that the total value of prizes for the fifth cycle amounts to about 10 million dirhams, distributed across 13 main categories, including two new categories: “Best Supporting Marketing Outlet” and “Agricultural Impact Maker.” The cycle also includes 97 accompanying competitions, compared to 77 competitions in the fourth cycle, an increase of up to 26%, in addition to organizing five festivals within the activities of the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba.
The Award receives participation applications from those wishing to register in the various categories until 15 December 2026, as part of its efforts to expand the base of participants, attract more farmers, breeders, and producers, and support distinguished models that contribute to developing the agricultural sector and enhancing food security and sustainability in the UAE.