As part of the distinguished partnership between the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, and under the high patronage of His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a ceremony was held on Thursday 14 May 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre to honour the winners of the “Hamdan – ALECSO Award for Distinguished Educational Research” and the “Hamdan (ALECSO) Award for Digital Innovations in Education” for the year 2025, coinciding with the national celebrations of the United Arab Emirates for the “Year of the Family”, organised under the slogan: “Thank you to every conscious family that makes a difference in raising outstanding children”.

The ceremony was held in the presence of Their Excellencies and Highnesses, the President and members of the Board of Trustees of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, alongside an elite group of educators, researchers and innovators from various Arab countries.

The list of winners of the “Hamdan – ALECSO – Award for Distinguished Educational Research” included three winners, namely:

• Professor Ahmed Mohamed Hamed Majariya,
• Professor Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al-Emadi, for their joint research titled: Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictions of Mathematics Anxiety, Science Anxiety and Enrolment in the Science Track in Secondary Education.
• Professor Majda Al-Sayed Ali Butaihesh Al-Kashki, for her research titled: “The Inflation of Illusory Competence as a Mediating Variable in the Relationship between Cognitive Reliance on Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Distortion of Intellectual Identity among Postgraduate Students in Saudi Universities” (a mixed-methods study),

The list of winners of the “Hamdan – ALECSO Award for Digital Innovations in Education” in its first edition also included three winners, namely:

- The “Alef Pathways” platform, affiliated with Alef Education.

- The “TAIA: Teaching AI Assistant” platform, by the innovator Hamad Abdullah Ali Al-Ateeqi Al-Junhabi.

- The “Raseen” platform, by the innovator Nouf bint Abdulaziz bin Muqbil Al-Juhani.

On this occasion, ALECSO extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, headed by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum, in appreciation of their continued support for educational research in the Arab world, their patronage of researchers and innovators, and their encouragement to address current educational issues and provide innovative solutions that contribute to the development of Arab educational systems.

ALECSO also extends its warmest congratulations to all the winners, wishing them further success and brilliance, and a scientific and research career full of giving and excellence.