Our judges will be assessing excellence in twelve categories. They will be looking for clear planning and strategy, coupled with excellent delivery and outcomes.

Entrants should, where appropriate, provide evidence in the form of metrics that demonstrate success, as well as a narrative. Please also include examples that demonstrate the positive impact of the work.

Judges will be looking for examples of creative solutions to common challenges, innovation that has improved a university’s performance and broadened its impact, and where possible, instances of excellence that are scalable or transferrable to other higher education institutions.

THE Awards Arab World are simple to enter and open to anyone working in higher education in the following countries and territories, with the exception of organisations with a sector-wide focus, or those working with large numbers of institutions:

Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

This information will help you prepare your entry.

• The entry system will open on 7 March 2024 and close on 2 May 6 May 2024 at 13:00 (UK time).
• Entry is free.
• There are 12 categories in all.
• Entries must be submitted in English.
• These awards focus primarily on activity during the 2023 calendar year, but submissions may be based on work that commenced prior to 2023, where proof of impact during 2023 is included. If your chosen project or initiative had a launch or roll-out date, this must have taken place during 2023. We will also accept additional evidence of impact or success that has only come to light during the early months of 2024.
• All entries must be submitted online.
• You must register in order to enter our awards. Once registered, your details will be retained on the website, so if you have entered our awards in previous years (including THE Awards MENA 2023), those login details should still be valid. Your details will not be shared with any third party, and will only be used by THE for awards-related communications.
• When logged in, entries can be drafted and redrafted as many times as you wish – please click ‘SAVE’ any time you wish to leave an incomplete submission. When you have finalised your submission, you first need to click on the 'MOVE TO BASKET' button, and then submit your entry from your basket.
• The judges will be looking for a good story, well told, and backed up with solid metrics and evidence of impact.
• Submissions must consist of (up to) 500 words of text that specifically address the key criteria set out for the relevant category. You may also attach either one or two sets of materials that support or expand on the key points of your 500-word text. This supporting documentation should be no more than four sides of A4 in total. Please see below for more details on the supporting material requirements.
• If you wish to submit URLs, tables or graphics, they must be included within your supporting materials, rather than forming part of the submission text.
• We are aware that some entries may include sensitive information, so please be reassured that the 500-word submission and any supporting documents will remain confidential, and will be seen only by those assessing the entry.
• We also ask you to submit an edited version of the submission (150 words maximum) which will be published on this website if the entry is shortlisted, so we ask you to remove from this text any details that you wish to keep private. We will be directing people to the Shortlist page in our marketing, so this is an excellent way for your entry to receive additional attention.
• You may enter as many categories as you wish, but the same submission cannot be entered in more than one category (nor should you submit one that is substantially the same as another). If you are unsure which is the best category for your entry, please contact david.suter@timeshighereducation.com.
• An institution may submit up to five entries per category, where the featured projects or initiatives are unrelated, otherwise, we advise you to combine the best elements of each in a stronger single entry.
  (Please note that some categories recognise work at an institutional rather than departmental level, so entries to these should include multiple components in a single submission, all forming part of an overall strategy.)
  
• You may enter a project that has been undertaken in collaboration with an external public or private partner, but the award will be given to the winning higher education institution.
• If your entry is based on a collaboration with other institutions, the submission should come from the lead institution. In such cases, please enter “ [lead institution], in collaboration with [other institutions] " or, in cases where the institutions are working under a collective banner or project name, “ [project name] ([list of participating institutions]) ”, in the ‘Institution‘ field on the entry form, and we will credit all institutions if shortlisted.
• If there is no lead institution in a collaborative project, in order to avoid multiple entries focusing on the same activity, please agree on who will make the submission on behalf of the partnership, and enter “ [institution a] and [institution b] ” in the ‘Institution’ field.
• Entries can be completed by those working at institutions, or consultants working on an institution’s instruction. If you are entering on behalf of an institution, please ensure that you supply an institutional contact as well as your own.
• If you are an individual considering submitting an entry, we ask that you let senior management and your university’s marketing team know that you are doing so (though no formal letter of approval is required by THE).
• If you are shortlisted, we will send you a notification email that will include your unique nomination code number. This number is also included in the email you receive confirming your original entry, so please check that these numbers are the same.]
• The shortlist will be announced on 18 July 2024, with the winners being announced at a ceremony taking place during our THE Arab Universities Summit in Amman, Jordan Dubai on 5 December 2024. The venue for the ceremony has been changed from Jordan to Dubai – we will be in touch directly with all attendees soon.

If you have any questions, please email THEawardsarabworld@timeshighereducation.com.

Documents should be in PDF or Word doc format.

• Supplementary documents may be submitted – these should support or expand on statements made in the main submission (you should not use these documents simply as an extension of your 500-word submission). In total, supporting documents should comprise no more than four sides of A4.
• Supporting materials may include photographs, tables, graphs, documents containing statistics, testimonials, supporting research, evaluation or inspection reports, promotional materials and media coverage (PowerPoint and video files will not be accepted; however, you may submit screenshots).

Any information submitted outside these guidelines will not be considered as part of the submission.

To help you prepare entries, these are the specific requirements on the entry form:

1. Nominee or key personnel (if you wish to highlight the role of specific people)
2. Submission title or project name (if applicable)
3. Project URL or link to further information about your entry (if applicable – this link will be published if the entry is shortlisted)
4. Institution name*
5. Submission text * (address specific criteria – strict limit of 500 words)
6. Abridged submission * (this will be published if the entry is shortlisted - strict limit of 150 words)
7. Supporting material 1
8. Supporting material 2
9. Upload institution logo *
10. Additional contact details

* mandatory field

The submitter will be our primary contact throughout the awards process, so they will receive all direct correspondence from us in relation to the submission, including the acknowledgement of receipt, notification of shortlisting, and official marketing materials we provide if the entry is shortlisted, and if it then wins.

If you would like to change your main point of contact at any time during the process, please send both the existing and new person’s name and contact information by email to THEawardsarabworld@timeshighereducation.com. 

Please contact david.suter@timeshighereducation.com if you have any specific questions about eligibility, or if you require clarification about any of the category criteria.