In April 2025, Dubai hosted a landmark AI competition as part of Dubai AI Week – the Global Prompt Engineering Championship. This Dubai AI competition gathered top AI enthusiasts from around the world to showcase their skills in prompt engineering. Over two days (April 22–23, 2025) at Boulevard Emirates Towers, 24 finalists competed across four creative categories for a share of a Dh1 million prize pool. The championship highlighted Dubai’s leadership in artificial intelligence and attracted thousands of applicants globally.
- Date & Venue: April 22–23, 2025 at Boulevard Emirates Towers, Dubai.
- Global Participation: Over 3,800 applicants from 125 countries competed, with 24 finalists chosen (6 per category).
- Categories: Four creative tracks – Coding, Gaming, Video, and Art.
- Prize Pool: Dh1 million total, shared among the category winners.
Trophy presentation at the Global Prompt Engineering Championship during Dubai AI Week 2025. The prize ceremony was attended by Dubai’s leaders and finalists from around the world. The competition highlighted how “prompt engineering” – crafting effective inputs for AI tools – has become a crucial new skill. This event reflects the UAE’s broader strategy to be “the first stop for innovation” in.
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Competition Winners
Coding: Abdulrahman Almarzooqi
Abdulrahman Almarzooqi, a master’s student at MBZUAI, won the coding category. This was not his first victory – he and his brother had previously won the Emirates Skills National Competition. Almarzooqi said he was proud to represent the UAE on the global stage as champion. He and the other category winners shared a Dh1 million prize pool.
Gaming: Ibrahim Helmy
Ibrahim Helmy (Canada, Microsoft Cloud Solution Architect) claimed the gaming category title. Helmy admitted he was surprised to be selected from thousands of applicants, but he combined his programming expertise and passion for gaming to succeed. He explained that prompt engineering required him to consider game-design elements (players, obstacles, controls, visuals, audio) from both the player’s and developer’s perspective. Despite the high-pressure environment, Helmy focused on crafting precise prompts and ultimately won the championship.
Video: Ibrahim Hajjo
Ibrahim Hajjo, a filmmaker, won the video category. Already skilled in video editing, Hajjo dedicated about two months to learning the “science of prompting” after signing up. During the 30-minute first round, he pushed his creativity to produce a compelling video prompt under a tight deadline. His thorough preparation paid off, and Hajjo took first place in the video challenge.
Art: Yahya Kaddoura
Yahya Kaddoura, an architect and urban designer, secured the art category. He already used AI in his design work and entered the contest ready to push its limits. Kaddoura described a multi-stage approach to generating his winning image: refining the concept, crafting a narrative, generating the image, and then applying final edits. Impressively, he completed the final artwork in about half the allotted 20 minutes, thanks to rigorous practice – including a three-week “bootcamp” with friends beforehand. His swift, high-quality output earned him the top art prize.
What Is Prompt Engineering?
Prompt engineering is the practice of formulating clear, effective instructions for generative AI systems. In simple terms, it’s “how you talk to the AI” to get the result you want. For example, with a tool like ChatGPT or an AI image generator, the choice of words and structure in your prompt can dramatically affect the output. Good prompt engineering means writing precise questions or commands so that AI tools produce accurate, creative answers or images.
AI Innovation in Dubai and the UAE
Dubai has established itself as a global technology hub with AI at the core of its strategy. In fact, the UAE was among the first countries to appoint a dedicated Minister for Artificial Intelligence – Omar Sultan Al Olama became AI Minister in 2017. The government’s AI Office explicitly aims to make the UAE “the first stop for innovation” in AI and robotics. Initiatives like Dubai AI Week and competitions such as this one drive that vision by attracting talent, promoting AI literacy, and fostering innovation across industries.
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FAQ
What is the Dubai AI competition?
The Dubai AI competition refers to the Global Prompt Engineering Championship held during Dubai AI Week 2025. It is a global AI contest focused on prompt engineering. In 2025, it was a two-day event (April 22–23) at Dubai’s Boulevard Emirates Towers. Contestants competed by writing creative prompts in four categories (Coding, Gaming, Video, Art) to drive AI systems. The finals brought together top talent from around the world, highlighting Dubai’s role as a leading AI hub.
How can I participate?
The competition is open to AI enthusiasts worldwide. Each year, organizers invite applications in advance of Dubai AI Week. Interested participants (students, professionals, hobbyists) submit an entry or qualifying test, and a selection process narrows the field (e.g. 3,800+ applications were narrowed to 24 finalists in 2025). Finalists are then invited to compete live. To join, watch for announcements from Dubai AI Week, the Dubai Future Foundation, or partner institutions (such as MBZUAI) on registration details.
What are the competition categories?
There are four competition categories: Coding, Gaming, Video, and Art. Each category challenges contestants to use prompt engineering in different domains (e.g. writing AI prompts for programming tasks, game concepts, video creation, or digital art). This structure allows a wide range of creatives and technologists to participate using their unique skills.
Who won the Dubai AI Competition 2025?
The 2025 champions in each category were:
Coding: Abdulrahman Almarzooqi (UAE)
Gaming: Ibrahim Helmy (Canada)
Video: Ibrahim Hajjo (Syria)
Art: Yahya Kaddoura (Palestine)Each winner excelled in prompt engineering in their field and was honored in a ceremony before Dubai’s leaders. They each received a portion of the Dh1 million prize pool.
What is the prize pool?
The 2025 competition offered a total prize pool of Dh1 million. This sum was divided among the four category winners, recognizing their achievement in the Global Prompt Engineering Championship.
