On World Children's Day, the General Secretariat of the Khalifa Educational Award, one of the institutions of the 'Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Foundation', announced the victory of 6 children out of a total of 1,804 children who participated in the 'Khalifa Award for Child Storytelling' activities. The award launched this creative competition for children aged 7 to 15 years. The announcement was made as part of its participation in the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Week, taking place from November 17 to 23, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra, under the slogan 'Together, we make Abu Dhabi an emirate family-friendly'.
The Secretary-General of the Award, Humaid Al Khouri, confirmed that the award witnessed wide participation from various parts of the state, as the scientific committee received 1,804 entries from creatively gifted children. The committee worked to sort through these works to discover creative talents and select the winners.
He also highlighted the importance of this initiative, which aligns with the mission and objectives of the Khalifa Educational Award and falls within the framework of close cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority. The initiative aims to support creativity and develop talents from a young age, enhance children's imaginative storytelling, and encourage them to express their ideas in a creative style that reveals their talents.
Humaid Al Khouri announced the list of winners as follows:
Age Category 7-9 years
First Place: 'My Robot Hero' by child Abdelwahed Othman Al Hinidi. Second Place: 'The Strange Bird in Our Home Garden' by child Salem Ali Salem Al Kaabi. Third Place: 'The Three Friends' by child Hessa Hamad Ahmed Al Mazrouei.
Age Category 10-15 years
First Place: 'Rashed Between the Pen and the Gun' by child Suleiman Abdul Halili. Second Place: 'An Idea from the Heart' by child Ali Ibrahim. Third Place: 'Ghazal and the Unknown Desert' by child Ghazal Al Manhali.
Furthermore, Al Khouri explained that the Khalifa Educational Award has established the Khalifa International Award for Early Education, which is the first of its kind in the world. It aims to shed light on the best global practices for caring for and empowering this age group worldwide. For this reason, the award was launched during the second Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Week, which serves as a platform that brings together families, caregivers, and various entities to collaborate on designing inspiring educational and recreational experiences for children. This reflects the vision of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority that every child can flourish in a safe and family-friendly environment.
He noted that the award included several central goals, primarily enhancing national identity, shaping the child's personality, and broadening their awareness of the principles of loyalty and belonging to the nation and wise leadership. It also aimed to instill the principles of good and positive citizenship, community service, environmental conservation, and the encouragement of sustainability concepts. Additionally, it sought to enhance the status of the Arabic language in the hearts of participating children, develop imagination and literary creativity in young students, plant positive educational and human values, and provide an opportunity to discover early talents in the field of children's literature.
Humaid Al Khouri also mentioned that the award formed a scientific committee consisting of Dr. Ghanem Al Bustami, a professor of educational psychology and child and adolescent development at Abu Dhabi University; Dr. Ibrahim Al Harbi, a specialist in early childhood workforce leadership at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority; and Fatima Al Amiri, an editor at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center.
