Meet our finalists

Business and Innovation Award

Zaid is a change agent committed to solving challenges at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and economic diversification through innovation and impact driven solutions. At Qatar Free Zones Authority, he has enabled hundreds of entities and startups from around the world to establish companies and drive skilled job creation contributing to the goals of a sustainable and knowledge-based economy. 

Business and Innovation Award

Habes Howail is the Manager of Government Partnerships at Qatar Foundation’s CEO Office, working to build partnerships and align efforts with Qatar’s national development goals. With expertise in education, governance, and societal development, he has contributed to initiatives in youth, sports, and culture. He is pursuing a PhD at University College London in the economics of higher education and remains committed to driving transformative progress.

Culture and Creativity Award

Eman Al-Amri, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute, is transforming global media education through innovative leadership shaped by her distinguished Master’s degree from Aston University (UK). Her pioneering initiatives have empowered over 34,000 journalists worldwide and provided free training to 14,000 individuals from underserved communities. 

Culture and Creativity Award

Dr. Bilal is a lecturer in accounting at Qatar University, specializing in merging creative media with education. He holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Sheffield and an MSc from Bangor University. He pioneers motion graphic videos, gamification, and interactive teaching methods to modernize accounting education. Passionate about whistleblowing and forensic accounting research, his work explores IFRS adoption, corporate governance, and financial fraud. 

Science and Sustainability Award

Dr. Mohamed serves as a Co-investigator at Hamad Medical Corporation. He specializes in molecular biology, having completed his PhD at Kingston University-UK, where he researched the role of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Gamma (PTPRG) as a biomarker in chronic myeloid leukemia patients. Shedding new light on its importance as predictive value for response to treatment. Dr. Mohamed is now serving as Editorial review board of several prestigious journals.

Science and Sustainability Award

Dr. Solaiman is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor of Healthcare Law at HBKU Law, Qatar. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics. He co-edited Research Handbook on Health, AI and the Law, the leading book in the field. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, with research focusing on AI governance.

Social Action Award

Hamad Essa Al-Tamimi is a Qatari professional working in the Office of the Secretary General at Qatar's National Planning Council. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Politics, he founded and led the Qatar Scotland Society and the MENA Society, representing students from 23 nationalities. His work focuses on international collaboration and sustainable development, supporting initiatives that integrate global best practices into national strategies. 

Social Action Award

Dr. Zarqa Parvez is an academic, political sociologist and social scientist whose research interrogates the intersections of statecraft, national identity, and women in the Arab Gulf region. As a scholar of international governance, her work synthesizes critical approaches to international politics and Gulf studies, with particular emphasis on examining state-society dynamics through multiple lens focusing on women's agency, youth engagement, and identity politics.