Dubai Culture & Arts Authority lauded at GovMedia Conference & Awards 2025
The Authority scored two accolades at the prestigious awards programme.
Dubai Culture & Arts Authority brought home two major wins at the 2025 iteration of the GovMedia Conference & Awards for its success in hosting the World Cities Culture Summit (WCCS) 2024, as well as its partnership with tech company Google that have redefined cultural engagement.
It was awarded the United Arab Emirates Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Culture and the Arts and the United Arab Emirates Public-Private Partnership of the Year - Culture and the Arts.
WCCS 2024 provided a dynamic platform for cultural leaders, policymakers, and innovators to collaborate on strategies that place culture at the heart of urban development. With over 141 delegates representing 36 cities, the event was the largest summit in WCCS history, setting a new benchmark for future editions.
Amongst the summit’s key highlights was the launch of the 'Future of Education in the Creative Economy' global report by Dubai Culture. The report underscored the link between education and a sustainable creative economy, forecasting that global spending on creative economy education will rise from $135.2b to $174.6b by 2027.
The Authority also curated a showcase of Emirati and UAE-based talent, featuring artists, designers, musicians, and culinary experts, a testament to Dubai’s commitment to nurturing the cultural and creative industries. The summit’s immersive experiences, interactive exhibits, and live performances provided attendees with a first-hand look at Dubai’s thriving cultural scene.
To complement the summit, it also launched a comprehensive PR and media campaign, generating 2,496 media clippings across global and regional outlets, with a PR value of $28.4m. The digital campaign also achieved 497,236 impressions, and 198,038 engagements.
A suite of content, including highlight videos, session recordings, and cultural destination features, ensured WCCS 2024’s influence extended beyond the summit, reinforcing Dubai’s leadership in cultural policy making and the creative economy.
“By successfully hosting WCCS 2024, Dubai demonstrated its leadership in global cultural dialogue by setting a new standard for cultural policy innovation. The summit’s impact extends far beyond its three-day duration, inspiring new models for cultural governance and international collaboration," the Authority said.
Dubai Culture won the United Arab Emirates Public Sector Initiative of the Year - Culture and the Arts for this major feat.
Digitising heritage and empowering creatives
Meanwhile, the groundbreaking partnership between Dubai Culture and Google leveraged technology and digital innovation to enrich cultural storytelling and support the creative economy.
At the core of this partnership was the 'Dubai’s Culture & Heritage' project on Google Arts & Culture. Launched initially during COVID-19, this initiative provided an innovative solution for audiences to explore the city’s cultural richness remotely. Through immersive storytelling and interactive digital exhibitions, Dubai Culture successfully engaged a global audience.
By 2024, the second phase of the project was unveiled, resulting in over 130 expert-curated cultural stories, 1,200 high-resolution images, and 40 immersive videos, expanding Dubai’s digital cultural presence and accessibility.
Complementing this digital initiative is the MENA Creatives Bootcamp, a joint programme aimed at equipping creatives and entrepreneurs with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven skills, sustainability-focussed design practices, and mentorship from industry experts.
The bootcamp was hosted at Google's Dubai office and Al Quoz Creative Zone, offering participants practical training on AI-powered creative solutions and digital storytelling, access to top-tier mentors from Dubai Culture, Google, and the regional creative industry, and long-term support, including networking opportunities and post-programme growth strategies.
Its second edition, which was hosted in February 2025, revolved around AI & Innovation, guiding creatives in integrating AI tools into their artistic and design processes. The impact had been substantial, with 32 creatives from across the region trained in the latest AI-driven methodologies and sustainability techniques.
Through this undertaking, Dubai Culture and Google established a scalable, impactful model for cultural engagement in the digital age. “The partnership with Google was one of the models submitted in the application, reinforcing Dubai Culture’s approach to embedding innovation across its flagship and strategic projects,” the former said.
Dubai Culture won the United Arab Emirates Public-Private Partnership of the Year - Culture and the Arts in the awards programme for this partnership.
GovMedia Conference & Awards 2025 celebrates the achievements of government projects and initiatives from both government organisations and private sector companies that are not only transforming Asia Pacific, but are also making a significant impact across the globe.
The Gov Media Awards is presented by Gov Media Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2026 awards programme and be recognised for your organisation's government projects and initiatives, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].
