ABU DHABI, 20th June 2025 (WAM) - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the UAE Cybersecurity Council has announced the winners of the country's first-ever national Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.

The awards ceremony was held at Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi. A total of 23 awards were distributed across five key categories, including individual recognitions, public and private sector achievements, academic excellence, and cybersecurity startup awards.

This first-of-its-kind initiative in the UAE shines a spotlight on best practices, innovative and successful models, and how they can be leveraged amid the growing importance of cybersecurity as a cornerstone for sustainable development, innovation, and resilience across all sectors.

The Cybersecurity Council sees the programme as a critical step in honouring pioneering efforts, promoting a culture of excellence and innovation, and fostering competitive digital leadership in an increasingly fast-paced digital world.

The initiative aligns with the UAE's broader national vision, which focuses on encouraging proactive cyber risk mitigation, showcasing breakthrough innovations and success stories, and enhancing a culture of awareness, resilience, and collaboration across sectors. The programme reflects the directives of the nation's leadership to boost the UAE's global standing in the digital arena and to continually highlight successful and scalable cybersecurity models.

This effort also reaffirms the UAE Cybersecurity Council's commitment to promoting innovation and excellence in the face of emerging cyber threats. It will further drive efforts to position the UAE as a global hub for cybersecurity expertise, develop national competencies, and empower young Emirati talents to lead the country's diversified, knowledge-based digital economy. These efforts ensure sustainable prosperity through continuous advancement and the implementation of pioneering, creative ideas and projects.

Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, highlighted the importance of the initiative, stating that the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards represent an ongoing effort to encourage talent to develop innovative digital solutions that respond to evolving threats. "By recognising excellence and innovation at both individual and institutional levels," he said, "we are not only celebrating achievements but also inspiring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals to redefine what's possible in digital security."

Among the individual winners, Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the UAE President and Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) won 2025 Award for Best Cybersecurity Education Programme, while Rashid Saeed Salem Al Ameri as Advisor at the President's Office for Strategic Affairs in the Presidential Court was named CISO of the Year.

Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, received the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year award.

Mohammed Al Harsousi was named Cyber Emirati of the Year, and Mohamed Al Shamsi won the Cyber Influencer of the Year award. Abdullah Al Sayari was recognised as Cybersecurity Entrepreneur of the Year, and Fatima Al Hammadi from the Ministry of Education received the Cyber Star Award for the Government Sector.

Ahmed Al Zarouni was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Dr. Luigi Martino was named Cybersecurity Educator of the Year. Raouda Al Dhaheri received the Research Excellence Award, Fatima Al Mansouri was recognised as the Rising Star in Cybersecurity, and once again.

In the public sector, awards for excellence in cybersecurity compliance went to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Economy. Hamad Al Shamsi and Mohammed Abdullah Al Junaibi, Chairman of Federal Protocol and Strategic Narrative Authority (FPSNA), were recognised for their role in cybersecurity policy development.

Sharjah Police and the Department of Health won Best Bug Bounty Programme, while the Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Signal Authority were honoured as Best Cybersecurity Team. The "TAMM" unified digital platform received the award for Best Use of AI and Machine Learning in Cybersecurity.

In the combined government-private sector category, Crowdstrike received the award for Excellence in Cyber Threat Intelligence, while e& was recognised for Innovation in Cybersecurity Technology.

TDRA and FANR won Best Incident Response, and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Cisco were jointly recognised as Best Cybersecurity Team.

Dubai Police and the State Security Department received awards for Cyber Risk Management, while ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Police, and SANS were awarded for Best Cybersecurity Training Programme. Microsoft Copilot won Best Use of AI and Machine Learning in Cybersecurity, and the UAE Banks Federation and the General Civil Aviation Authority were honoured for Best Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation.

The Central Bank of the UAE received the award for Cybersecurity Architecture Excellence, while the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) shared the Cybersecurity Research Excellence Award.

AWS, Google, Lockheed Martin, and Stratosphire were collectively recognised for Best Cybersecurity Project. Mandiant was named Best Cybersecurity Solution, while Palo Alto Networks and the Government Empowerment Department won for Best Awareness Programme.

In the academic category, Khalifa University and the Higher Colleges of Technology were recognised for Cybersecurity Curriculum Innovation. Abu Dhabi Polytechnic received the Best Cyber Awareness Initiative award, and Zayed University was honoured for Excellence in Digital Safety Awareness.

Yas Schools, Al Bahia Educational Complex, and Zayed Educational Complex in Al Dhait, Dibba Fujairah, and Mohammed bin Zayed were recognised as the Academic Rising Stars of 2025.

In the startup category, Spidersilk was named Cybersecurity Startup of the Year. Exordium won for Most Innovative Solution, Cyberhero received the Cybersecurity Impact Award, and both CTF.ae and Exploit3rs were recognised for Community Engagement. FrontierZero was named Rising Star in Cyber Defense, Cypherleak won the AI-Powered Security Pioneer award, and Starcsec was recognised as the Zero Trust Architecture Champion.

In the digital government category, the Government Enablement Department received the award for Smart Integration in Cybersecurity, while the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) was recognised for Digital Trust. Ajman Digital Government won for Secure Digital Transformation, and the Ras Al Khaimah eGovernment Authority received the award for Innovation in Regional Cyber Resilience. Fujairah eGovernment and the Fujairah GIS Center were honored for Excellence in Government Cloud Security, while Umm Al Qaiwain Smart Government was named Emerging Leader in Cybersecurity Enablement.