{"id":73010,"date":"2026-11-07T13:50:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T13:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/?p=73010"},"modified":"2026-11-07T13:50:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T13:50:43","slug":"gess-education-awards-2026-break-records-with-1200-entries-from-70-countries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/2026\/11\/07\/gess-education-awards-2026-break-records-with-1200-entries-from-70-countries\/","title":{"rendered":"GESS Education Awards 2026 Break Records with 1,200+ Entries from 70 Countries"},"content":{"rendered":"

GESS Education Awards 2026 Break Records with 1,200+ Entries from 70 Countries<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

AI and inclusion lead the way as GESS Dubai prepares for another impactful edition, bringing global education innovation and classroom priorities into focus.<\/h3>\n

Dubai, UAE, November 6th 2026<\/strong> \u2013 GESS Dubai 2026 returns to Dubai World Trade Centre from 10\u201312 November, and this year\u2019s 13th annual GESS Education Awards underline just how global the event\u2019s community has become. Held on 11 November at The Conrad Hotel Dubai, the 2026 Awards span 30 categories and have drawn a record 1,200+ entries from 70 countries, with the shortlist alone spanning finalists from 49 countries.<\/h3>\n

That global reach builds on last year\u2019s edition, which welcomed professionals from 94 countries and more than 300 exhibiting brands from 35 countries (GESS Dubai 2025 Post-Show Report). For 2026, the Awards shortlist also offers a live snapshot of where that attention is now concentrated in the classroom itself \u2013 with inclusion and artificial intelligence among the categories generating the most entries.<\/h3>\n

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\nInclusion: A Sharper Local Picture Behind a Global Category<\/strong>
\nAmong this year\u2019s shortlisted categories are \u201cSEN and Inclusive Resource\/Equipment Supplier of the Year\u201d and \u201cBest Initiative to Promote Inclusivity\u201d, recognition that arrives as inclusion becomes one of the fastest-growing areas of UAE education. SEN enrolment in Abu Dhabi has jumped 116%, from roughly 6,000 students in 2023 to more than 13,000 in 2024 (Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development). In Dubai, 74% of schools \u2013 146 in total \u2013 are now rated \u201cGood\u201d or higher for inclusion provision (KHDA).<\/h3>\n

The category also arrives alongside a fresh policy push: in May 2026, Dubai\u2019s Higher Committee for Protection of Rights of People of Determination, chaired by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, reviewed new KHDA-led initiatives to expand flexible, inclusive education pathways for students of determination, including a dedicated licensing and quality-assurance framework for specialised programmes and new financial-guidance support for Emirati families (WAM, May 2026).<\/h3>\n

Mark Whitfield, GCC Chief Executive Officer at Outcomes First Group, speaking at Education Investment MENA, GESS Dubai\u2019s co-located investment conference, said: \u201cInclusion only means something if it shows up in outcomes, not just in a mission statement. Across our schools in the GCC, that means safeguarding, student support and academic performance all have to move together \u2013 you can\u2019t build genuinely inclusive schools by treating any one of those as optional. That\u2019s the standard we hold ourselves to, and it\u2019s exactly the kind of conversation I\u2019m looking forward to having with other operators and investors at GESS Dubai this year.\u201d<\/h3>\n

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AI in the Classroom: The Numbers Behind the Category<\/strong>
\nThe shortlist\u2019s \u201cBest AI Product\/Tool in Education\u201d category reflects a shift already well under way in UAE classrooms. The category also lands as the UAE prepares to roll out AI across the national curriculum in all public and private schools, with around 22,000 teachers being trained to use it for teaching, assessment and lesson planning (Khaleej Times, 2 September 2026). Among this year\u2019s shortlisted finalists in \u201cBest AI Product\/Tool in Education\u201d is EdTool.ai (powered by Learnetic), also shortlisted for \u201cSecondary Resource\/Equipment Supplier of the Year\u201d.<\/h3>\n

Dr Anuraag Guglaani, Chairperson at Wazir Holdings, speaking at Education Investment MENA, GESS Dubai\u2019s co-located investment conference, said: \u201cAI in education isn\u2019t just a classroom tool question anymore, it\u2019s a governance question for every operator and investor in this sector. The businesses and school groups that will actually benefit from AI are the ones treating it as something to be governed deliberately, not bolted on. That\u2019s the conversation I want to have at GESS Dubai this year, with the people building and funding the next generation of schools.\u201d<\/h3>\n

The 2026 shortlist also includes categories recognising sustainability and gamification in education, both themes carried through into this year\u2019s GESS Dubai conference programme.
\nBeyond the Awards, that same focus carries onto the exhibition floor, where new EdTech and AI in Education Pavilions join GESS Dubai 2026 for the first time, following strong demand in both areas at last year\u2019s edition.<\/h3>\n

Sarah Palmer, Brand Director at GESS, Informa, said: \u201cWhat stands out this year isn\u2019t just the number of entries, it\u2019s their quality and range \u2013 from AI and EdTech innovators to specialists in inclusion and sustainability. That diversity is exactly what gives educators walking the show floor real, practical value: not just a glimpse of what\u2019s next, but tools and ideas they can actually bring back to their classrooms.\u201d<\/h3>\n

GESS Dubai 2026 takes place from 10\u201312 November 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Saeed Halls. Registration is free for education professionals. Visit www.gessdubai.com for the full agenda and registration.<\/h3>\n

\nENDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GESS Education Awards 2026 Break Records with 1,200+ Entries from 70 Countries AI and inclusion lead the way as GESS Dubai prepares for another impactful edition, bringing global education innovation and classroom priorities into focus. Dubai, UAE, November 6th 2026 \u2013 GESS Dubai 2026 returns to Dubai World Trade Centre from 10\u201312 November, and this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":73015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[29],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73010"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73014,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73010\/revisions\/73014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hashtagdubai.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}