Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the seventh edition of the Arab Hope Makers initiative, offering a Dh1 million ($272,000) prize to the winner. Run under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the programme is widely regarded as the largest humanitarian recognition platform in the Arab world.
The initiative seeks out individuals, volunteer groups and non-profit organisations whose charitable, social or community work has made a tangible difference across the region. Since its launch in 2017, more than 335,000 people have taken part, and applications for this year's edition are now open through the initiative's official website.
Announcing the new edition, Sheikh Mohammed said: "Nurturing hope is a triumph for life itself. The hope we cultivate today will yield prosperity, peace and safety in people's lives tomorrow."
Last year's winner was Fouzia Mahmoudi of Morocco, founder of a branch of the Operation Smile foundation, which has carried out more than 19,000 free surgeries for children born with cleft lips and palates. Her story has become one of the most cited examples of how the initiative translates recognition into real, measurable impact on vulnerable communities.
Open to applicants from across the Arab world and beyond, Arab Hope Makers has grown each year since its founding, reflecting Dubai's broader push to position itself as a hub for humanitarian and philanthropic work in the Middle East. Organisers say the seventh edition will continue to spotlight grassroots initiatives that rarely receive international attention, giving a global platform to work that might otherwise go unnoticed.