• Open to emerging Emirati artists aged between 18 and 35 years old. 
• Entries may be submitted by an individual Emirati or by a group of two to five people, including at least one Emirati member. 
• Entries must fall within the genre of performing arts: music, dance, spoken word or theatre. 
• All submissions must be original works, created within the past 12 months, and must not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party. 

A selection committee chooses a winning entry based on the following considerations: 

• Artistic Merit
• Evidence of original and creative thinking
• Personal application of technical skills
• Presentation
• Storytelling
• Professionalism

• Application form – to be completed online.
• Performance recording – A high quality horizontal video between three and eight minutes in length, showcasing your artistic performance and technical skill.

By entering this competition, entrants indicate and confirm their agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.  

1. Eligibility 

• Open entry: The award is open to artists and collaborative teams who have created original artistic works.  

• Age and legal capacity: Participants must be 18 years of age or older and legally capable of entering into a binding agreement. In cases where legal capacity is in question, entrants must provide documented consent from a legal guardian. 

• Nationality: Open to UAE nationals only. 

• Originality: All submissions must be original works and must not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party.    

• Exclusion criteria: Employees, contractors, or representatives of the organising body, sponsors, or affiliated partners of ADMAF and Gulf Capital are not eligible to participate, except as explicitly stated in these Terms and Conditions.     

2. Submission Guidelines 

• Submission period: Entries must be submitted within the official submission period. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

• Format and content: Submissions must include a detailed description of the work, technical specifications and an artist’s statement. All digital files must adhere to the accepted file formats and size limits specified.     

• Multiple entries: Multiple entries from the same applicant are not permitted. 

• Group submissions: A single submission may be submitted by up to three authors. 

• Visual documentation: Digital files visualising the artwork must be submitted in one of the following formats: JPEG, PDF, TIFF, MP4 and must adhere to the specified file size limits. 

3. Judging Process and Criteria 

• Selection committee: An independent panel of art experts will evaluate all submissions.  

• Final decision: The committee’s decisions are final and binding.  

4. Intellectual Property and Usage Rights 

• Ownership: Participants retain full ownership of their submitted works.   

• License to ADMAF: By entering the award, participants grant ADMAF a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, reproduce, distribute and use the submissions for promotional, educational and archival purposes, subject to proper attribution.   

• Moral rights: Participants agree that any use of the submitted works in connection with the award does not compromise their moral rights. Any third-party rights must be clearly documented and managed by the entrant.   

5. Award Disbursement 

• Award: The award includes a monetary award of AED 20,000 disbursed in accordance with a pre-established payment schedule.  

• Additional benefits: Winners may receive exhibition opportunities, global media exposure and mentorship based on the needs to realise the proposed artwork.  

• Award acceptance: Winner must formally accept the award by signing an award acceptance agreement. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the award.    

• Travel requirements: In accepting the award, the winner agrees to travel nationally and internationally if and when required.   

6. Publicity and Use of Likeness 

• Consent: By participating, entrants consent to the use of their name, likeness, biographical details and submitted works for promotional and publicity purposes related to the award, without additional compensation unless otherwise agreed.   

• Filming and photography: By participating, all applicants consent to appear in photography and filming related to the award.   

• Media release: Programme participants and the award recipient agree to participate in interviews, photo sessions and other media activities reasonably requested by ADMAF and Gulf Capital.  

7. Confidentiality and Data Protection 

• Confidentiality: All information provided in submissions will be treated with strict confidentiality and used solely for the purposes of the award evaluation and subsequent administration.  

• Data protection: Personal data will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection laws and ADMAF privacy policy.   

8. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law 

• Arbitration: Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms and Conditions shall be resolved by confidential binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of Abu Dhabi.   

• Governing law: These Terms and Conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction of Abu Dhabi.   

• Jurisdiction: Participants consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the relevant courts for any disputes not resolved through arbitration. 

9. Limitation of Liability 

• No guarantees: ADMAF is not liable for any technical issues, unauthorised third-party interventions or other disruptions that might impact the submission process or evaluation.   

• Force majeure: ADMAF shall not be responsible for any delay or failure in performance due to events beyond their reasonable control.   

10. Amendments and Modifications 

• Right to amend: ADMAF reserves the right to amend or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time, with changes effective immediately upon publication on the official award website page. Participants will be notified of significant changes, and continued participation constitutes acceptance of the amended Terms and Conditions.  

• Communication: All notices and communications regarding amendments will be sent to the email address provided during registration or made available on the official website. 

11. Termination and Forfeiture

• Non-compliance: Submissions that do not adhere to these Terms and Conditions or the guidelines will be disqualified at the sole discretion of ADMAF.  

• Withdrawal: Participants may withdraw their submission before the deadline. Withdrawn entries will be permanently removed from consideration. 

12. Miscellaneous Provisions

• Severability: If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.  

• Entire agreement: These Terms and Conditions, together with any additional guidelines or documents referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between the participants and the organisers regarding the award.  

• Contact: For any questions or further clarifications regarding these Terms and Conditions, participants may contact ADMAF at [email protected].