Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and ALECSO Announce Winners of Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Distinguished Educational Research and Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Digital Innovations in Education

Dubai, UAE, 28 November 2025:  Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, in collaboration with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), announced today (Friday, 28 November 2025) the winners of the Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Distinguished Educational Research and the Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Digital Innovations in Education for the 2025 cycle. This year’s edition received 116 educational research submissions from 13 Arab countries and 77 digital innovations from 11 countries, resulting in two winning research papers in the Distinguished Educational Research category and three winning projects in the Digital Innovations in Education category.

This year’s cycle stood out for the breadth and quality of Arab participation, with submissions reflecting a wide range of research interests and emerging trends in digital education. Entries across the Distinguished Educational Research and Digital Innovations in Education categories provided a clear picture of the region’s growing scientific and innovative momentum, setting the stage for selecting the winning projects in each category.

His Excellency Humaid Mohammed Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, stated: “The announcement of Hamdan–ALECSO Award results marks an important milestone in advancing educational research and innovation across the Arab world. It reflects the Foundation’s commitment to enhancing the quality of education and empowering educational systems with talent capable of driving positive change. Over its successive cycles, the award has firmly established itself as a leading platform for identifying distinguished researchers and innovators, supporting studies that contribute to the development of educational policies, improving learning practices, and guiding efforts toward future priorities.”

The 2025 Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Distinguished Educational Research recorded strong regional participation, with 116 educational research submissions from 13 Arab countries, reflecting the diversity of research interests and the depth of educational issues across the region. Saudi Arabia topped the submissions with 41 research papers, followed by Egypt with 16, Palestine with 13, and the United Arab Emirates with 10. Qatar submitted 9 papers, Jordan 7, while Syria, Oman, and Iraq each submitted 5. In addition, Kuwait participated with 2 submissions, and Sudan, Bahrain, and Yemen with one research paper each.

His Excellency Humaid Mohammed Al Qutami added: “The strategic partnership between Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) reflects a shared vision centered on strengthening Arab knowledge production, empowering researchers to propose innovative solutions to educational challenges, and broadening the impact of Arab expertise in advancing education. We congratulate the winners on this well-deserved achievement and reaffirm the Foundation’s continued commitment to supporting excellence and creativity, and to providing an enabling environment for scientific research—contributing to the development of an educated, informed generation capable of keeping pace with global transformations and actively shaping the future.”

On this occasion, His Excellency Professor Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, stated: “The announcement of the winning research for the Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Distinguished Educational Research represents an important scientific milestone, reflecting the distinguished role the award plays in supporting Arab educational research and enhancing the quality of knowledge production in this vital field. The award—through its rigorous standards and forward-looking vision—has contributed significantly to strengthening a culture of scientific inquiry and encouraging researchers to produce innovative studies capable of informing educational policy development and improving pedagogical practices across the Arab world.”

His Excellency Professor Mohamed Ould Amar added: “The longstanding partnership between ALECSO and Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences embodies a shared commitment to supporting educational research and directing it toward priority issues within Arab education systems, thereby advancing human capital development and raising the overall quality of education. We congratulate the winners on this well-deserved scientific achievement and reaffirm our continued collaboration with the Foundation to deepen the award’s impact, broaden the community of benefiting researchers, and foster an Arab research environment that keeps pace with global transformations and contributes to shaping a more innovative and effective educational future.”

Commenting on the results of Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Digital Innovations in Education, His Excellency Professor Mohamed Ould Amar added: “The launch of Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Digital Innovations in Education represents a strategic step and a significant turning point in the development of education across the Arab world. The award strengthens the regional shift toward supporting innovative digital solutions and adopting advanced technologies—such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and data analytics—to enhance teaching and learning processes. Since the launch of its inaugural cycle in March of this year, the award has played an essential role in reinforcing digital transformation within Arab education systems, empowering teachers, students, and researchers to design initiatives capable of building more efficient and sustainable learning environments that keep pace with global developments.”

Following a rigorous evaluation process based on stringent scientific criteria, two research papers were selected as winners in this year’s cycle. The first, titled “Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictions of Mathematics Anxiety, Science Anxiety, and Enrollment in the Scientific Track in Secondary Education,” was authored by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Hamed Majriya and Prof. Dr. Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Emadi. The second winning study, authored by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Magda El-Sayed Ali Bathish Al-Kushki, is titled “The Inflation of Illusory Competence as a Mediating Variable in the Relationship Between Cognitive Reliance on Generative Artificial Intelligence and Distortion of Intellectual Identity Among Graduate Students.” The winning research papers demonstrated strong scientific rigor, clear relevance to contemporary educational issues, and a notable capacity to contribute to the development of educational policies and the enhancement of learning practices across Arab countries.

The 2025 Hamdan–ALECSO Award for Digital Innovations in Education also witnessed strong regional participation, with 77 digital innovations from 11 Arab countries, reflecting the diversity of digital initiatives and the growing adoption of advanced technologies in educational development. Algeria topped the submissions with 21 innovations, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 16, Palestine with 10, Saudi Arabia with 7, Iraq with 6, and Jordan with 5. Kuwait and Morocco each submitted 4 innovations, in addition to 2 innovations from Syria, and one submission each from Oman and Qatar.

Following an evaluation process based on criteria of innovation, educational impact, and applicability, the judging committee selected three winning innovations in this inaugural cycle, across both the institutional and individual categories. In the institutional category, the winning project was Alef Pathways, submitted by Alef Education from the United Arab Emirates.

In the individual category, the winners were Hind Abdullah Ali Al Ateeqi Al Junaibi from the UAE for her innovation TAIA: Teaching AI Assistant, and Nouf bint Abdulaziz bin Muqbil Al-Jehani from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for her innovation Raseen Platform.

The winning projects demonstrated exceptional ability in leveraging artificial intelligence and digital solutions to enhance educational quality and build more efficient, innovative learning environments.

Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, in partnership with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), reaffirms its commitment to advancing educational research and promoting digital innovation in education. Through its leading programs and awards, the Foundation continues to empower researchers and innovators across the Arab world and to provide platforms that support high-quality scientific and technological contributions. Both institutions remain dedicated to expanding the impact of these awards and strengthening their role in developing education systems and building the capacities of future generations. The winners will be honored on the sidelines of the Conference of Arab Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to be held in Baghdad at the end of December under the auspices of ALECSO.