"We are delighted to bring the 'Oscars of higher education' to the Middle East and North Africa for the first time.

Times Higher Education is proud to have played an integral role in recognising, supporting and incentivising excellence in global higher education and research since our foundation in 1971. One of the ways we do this is through our prestigious THE Awards, which spotlight the truly exceptional achievements of universities, teams and individuals in some of their most critical areas of focus, holding them up as beacons of best practice.

The scale, diversity and quality of the entries we received clearly justifies our decision to single out the region for special attention. Of nearly 270 entries from 13 countries or territories, our judges whittled down an inspirational set of submissions into 75 finalists and, ultimately, the 10 worthy winners.

This year is just the beginning. We hope that by giving these inaugural award winners their own space to shine, we will help not only to celebrate and showcase the good practice developed in the region, but also to spread it to neighbouring areas and beyond. We very much expect these awards to provide the case studies to inspire action in others and to help further supercharge one of the most exciting and innovative regions in global higher education. We are delighted to play our part in celebrating your excellence."

– Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer, THE

The winners were announced on 14 November 2023 – view an e-book profiling all the winners.

Click on the category names below to read abridged versions of the shortlisted submissions.

Watch the highlights video

International Strategy of the Year

Abu Dhabi University (winner)

Al-Ahliyya Amman University

Alamein International University

Lebanese American University

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (highly commended)

University of Sharjah

Leadership and Management Team of the Year

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Lebanese American University (winner)

National University of Science and Technology, Oman

Qatar University

University of Tunis El Manar

Zewail City of Science and Technology

Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership

American University in Cairo

Amity University Dubai

University of Balamand (winner)

The British University in Egypt

University of Dubai

Lebanese American University

Middlesex University Dubai

October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA)

Outstanding Contribution to Regional Development

Al-Ahliyya Amman University (winner)

University of Balamand

The British University in Egypt

New York University Abu Dhabi

October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA)

Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie

Saudi Electronic University

Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences

Outstanding Support for Students

Abu Dhabi University

Al-Balqa Applied University

American University of Beirut

Amity University Dubai

University of Birjand

Gulf Medical University (winner)

King Faisal University

New York University Abu Dhabi

Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Abu Dhabi University

American University in Cairo (winner)

The British University in Egypt

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (highly commended)

Middlesex University Dubai

New York University Abu Dhabi

Qatar University

Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI), Qatar University

Research Project of the Year: STEM

University of Balamand

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Middlesex University Dubai

New York University Abu Dhabi (winner)

Nile University

Qatar University

United Arab Emirates University

University of Sharjah, in collaboration with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Student Recruitment Campaign of the Year

Abu Dhabi University

AlMaarefa University

American University of Sharjah

Egyptian E-Learning University

The Hashemite University

King Faisal University

Qatar University (winner)

Teaching and Learning Strategy the Year

Abu Dhabi University

Al Akhawayn University

American University in Dubai (winner)

Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Lebanese American University – Addressing knowledge gaps

Lebanese American University – Revamping the core curriculum

Prince Sultan University

Qatar University

Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year

Abu Dhabi University

Arabian Gulf University (winner)

The British University in Dubai

Gulf Medical University

Lebanese American University

Modern University for Business and Science

New York University Abu Dhabi

Qatar University