10 finalists of different nationalities were selected from a pool of 120 applicants

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts, heritage, and literature, has announced the list of partners and finalists for the Islamic Creative Economy (ICE) Competition, which was launched in partnership with Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC). The winners will be announced during the Global Islamic Economy Summit taking place 30th – 31st October, 2018.

The ICE Competition is designed to highlight bold new ideas that strive to redefine the nexus of culture, commerce, and technology, as well as help artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs to bring their visions to life. A total of 37 local and international partners from governmental and non-governmental organisations took part in the competition’s outreach programme, reflecting the importance of the competition and its role in promoting Islamic culture, the establishment of a system that helps empower and guide entrepreneurs, and the development of a global system capable of attracting creative entrepreneurs while creating new opportunities for them.

ICE competition partners are: Dubai Culture and Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (organising partners), in addition to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, Thomson Reuters, Dubai Chamber, UNIDO ITPO Bahrain,  BEKRAF - Badan Ekonomi Kreatif (Indonesia Agency For Creative Economy) , Municipality of Torino, the British Council, Torino Chamber of Commerce; NESTA, the Global Entrepreneurship Network, the Islamic Museum of Australia, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, Dubai Design and Fashion Council; in5, Sheraa – Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Centre in Dubai Silicon Oasis, Young Architect and Design Programme (Aga Khan Award for Architecture), Ahead of the Curve, the Canadian Business Council of Dubai & The Northern Emirates, Alserkal Group, Alserkal Cultural Foundation, LaunchGood, Wamda, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre, Global Game Jam Inc., Welcome Challenge, Zileej, Games 4 Change, Jsoor, Nuqat, Weyakum, Lahum, PinkTank , Sajory ,GEN Global and Game Arts International Network (GAIN), Salaam Gateway (media partner, and YouNoodle (technology partner).   

The partners nominated those who best found inspiration in the heritage of Islamic culture and conceived a business idea that links to the creative economy. After receiving over 120 nominations, 10 finalists were selected to pitch their innovative solutions during the fourth edition of the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES). The top three winners will be selected by a jury and voted upon by the audience, and will be announced on the same day during the Gala Dinner.

Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General at Dubai Culture, commented: “This competition is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the capital of Islamic economy. It also aligns with the objectives of ‘Dubai Plan 2021’ aiming to enhance the happiness and comfort of people living in the Emirate.”

Al Nabouda added: “We at Dubai Culture are proud to launch this international competition that attracted a big number of partners and participants. It stands as evidence of its importance in supporting young talent, establishing partnerships, and in developing creative and innovative projects and initiatives locally, regionally, and globally. We are happy to work with all of these partners who nominated participants from their countries, supporting our mandate to promote Dubai’s position as a global, creative, and sustainable city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature.”

Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIEDC, said: “The Islamic Creative Economy Competition aims to support innovators and spotlight creative ideas that redefine the relationship between culture, trade, and technology. Through providing a platform for startups in the Islamic economy space to market their products and services, and test their viability in the real world, the competition supports the nation’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy.”

Al Awar added: “As an outcome of a strategic partnership between DIEDC and Dubai Culture, the competition seeks to restore Islamic culture to its former glory, and establish an ecosystem that empowers and guides entrepreneurs on their innovative journey.”

He noted that Islamic lifestyle had been chosen as a key pillar of the DIEDC 2017-2021 Strategy, because the growth of the Islamic economy depends on rejuvenating Islamic culture. Young people make up a significant component of the production and consumption cycle, and constitute a majority of the Muslim population today that are keen to express themselves through creative and artistic methods and thereby establish their own unique identity. DIEDC will unstintingly invest in the culture and art segments of the Islamic economy, as they are shaping new industries with considerable potential for advancement.

 The finalists are:

  • Tomorrow Never Knows Inc. (US)
  • Kaaba Virtual Experience (Indonesia)
  • Al Qalam (Egypt)
  • Video Games Without Borders (Spain)
  • Team Engare (Iran)
  • TAKVA (Japan)
  • Lamsa (UAE)
  • UNDER-RÂPT Ltd (UK)
  • Made from Words (Canada)
  • Arabic Digital Reform Institute (ADRI) (New Zealand)

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the UAE’s rich heritage. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilizations and cultures to enhance Dubai's position as a creative and sustainable global city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature, with the aim to empower these sectors by developing creative and innovative projects and initiatives locally, regionally, and globally.

-Ends-

For more information on Dubai Culture, kindly visit:
Web: www.dubaiculture.gov.ae 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DubaiCultureArtsAuthority
Twitter: @DubaiCulture
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DubaiCulture 
Instagram: @dubaiculture
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/6043316/ 

About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority:

The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in order to drive the growth of the city’s artistic and cultural landscape. The Authority’s vision is to establish Dubai as a global, creative, and sustainable city for culture, heritage, arts and literature, and to empower these sectors to bring happiness to Dubai’s society.

As part of its mandate, Dubai Culture has several initiatives that are focused on strengthening both the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai, including Dubai Art Season - the city’s premier umbrella arts initiative which kicks off with Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and encompasses Art Week including Art Dubai, and SIKKA Art Fair- an annual event aimed at promoting Emirati and local artists in the UAE and the wider GCC region, Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre - an annual festival that fosters the art of theatre in the UAE and that is celebrating its 12th anniversary in 2018, and Dubai Next - a dynamic platform that aims to showcase the Emirate’s cultural ethos and its vibrant creative scene on the global stage.

The Authority’s other key initiatives include Creatopia (www.creatopia.ae) - the nation’s first government empowered virtual community that guides and nurtures the creative culture of the nation and provides a platform of information and opportunities that lead to exposure and personal growth.

Dubai Culture also plays a leading role in support of the UAE National Strategy for Reading 2026, in particular by undertaking a major refurbishment of all Dubai Public Libraries branches to transform them into state-of-art cultural and artistic hubs. Across all of its branches, Dubai Public Library also provides children and young adults with a range of educational and entertaining activities that encourage the use of its facilities. The ‘Our Summer is Filled with Culture & Arts Programme’ is a Dubai Public Library initiative which complements the UAE National Reading Strategy, with its activities open to all age groups, and which revolve around four key themes: happiness, reading, family and the future.

The Authority also manages more than 16 heritage sites across the Emirate and is a key government stakeholder in the development of the Dubai Historical District. As the custodian Authority of Dubai’s museum sector, Dubai Culture officially launched Etihad Museum in December 2016. The museum provides a platform to encourage cultural exchange and to connect Emirati youth with their culture and history. As part of the Authority mandate to support Dubai’s vision of becoming the focal point of diverse cultural exchange (regionally & globally), the museums will play a catalyst role in preserving Emirati Heritage.

For more information on Dubai Culture, visit www.dubaiculture.gov.ae 

About Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC)Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) was established in December 2013 under the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, to transform Dubai into the capital of Islamic economy.In 2017, DIEDC launched its refreshed Islamic economy strategy (2017-2021) that focuses on identifying new key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring the growth of three core Islamic economy sectors – Islamic finance, halal products, and Islamic lifestyle encompassing culture, art, fashion and family tourism – in addition to measuring their contribution to the UAE’s national economy. Knowledge, standards and digital Islamic economy serve as cornerstones that support these key sectors in achieving the leadership’s Islamic economy vision.As part of the new mandate, DIEDC is keen to develop strategic partnerships with local and international organisations to build a robust framework and comprehensive ecosystem of Islamic economy principles and regulations.DIEDC seeks to empower young talent with the required skillset to boost growth across the strategic Islamic economy sectors and contribute to achieving sustainable development for the wider global community. For more information on DIEDC, please visit www.iedcdubai.ae  

Follow DIEDC on:
https://twitter.com/IEDCDubai  
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dubai-islamic-economy-development-center/  
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVvIV5ANNUgjf9W8yZXCsbQ  
https://www.instagram.com/iedcdubai/  

© Press Release 2018

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