Entry guidelines

Link of Guideline click here 

What are the judges looking for?

Our judges will be assessing excellence in ten categories. They will be looking for clear planning and strategy, coupled with excellent delivery and outcomes.

As well as a 500-word narrative, universities should, where appropriate, provide evidence in the form of metrics that demonstrate success. Please also include examples that demonstrate the positive impact of the work.

Judges will be looking for examples of creative solutions to common challenges, innovation that has improved a university’s performance and broadened its impact, and where possible, instances of excellence that are scalable or transferrable to other higher education institutions.

Eligible countries and territories

THE Awards Arab World are simple to enter and open to anyone working in higher education in the following countries and territories, with the exception of organisations with a sector-wide focus, or those working with large numbers of institutions:

Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Entry guidelines

This information will help you prepare your entry.

• The entry window will open on 13 March 2025  and close on 1 May 2025 at 14:00 (UK time).
• Entry is free.
• THE Awards Arab World 2025 focus primarily on activity during the 2024 calendar year, but submissions may be based on work that commenced prior to 2024, where activity and proof of impact during 2024 is included.
• If you are focusing on a project or initiative that had a specific launch or roll-out date, this must have occurred during 2024. We will also accept additional evidence of impact or success that has come to light during the early months of 2025, leading up to your entry.
• There are 10 categories to choose from.
• Entries must be submitted in English.
• All entries must be submitted online.
• You must register in order to enter our awards. Once registered, your details will be retained on the website, so if you have entered our awards in previous years, those login details should still be valid. Your details will not be shared with any third party, and will only be used by THE for awards-related communications.
• When logged in, entries can be drafted and redrafted as many times as you wish – please click ‘SAVE’ any time you wish to leave an incomplete submission. When you have finalised your submission, you first need to click on the 'MOVE TO BASKET' button, and then submit your entry from your basket.
• The judges will be looking for a good story, well told, and backed up with solid metrics and evidence of impact.
• Submissions must consist of (up to) 500 words of text that addresses the key criteria set out for the relevant category. You may also attach either one or two sets of materials that support or expand on the key points of your 500-word text. This supporting documentation should be no more than four sides of A4 in total. 
  Please see below for more details on the supporting material requirements.
• If you wish to submit URLs, tables or graphics, they must be included within your supporting materials, not in the main submission text.
• We are aware that some entries may include sensitive information, so please be reassured that the 500-word submission and any supporting documents will remain confidential, and will be seen only by those assessing the entry.
• We also ask you to submit an edited version of the submission (150 words maximum) which will be published on this website if the entry is shortlisted, so we ask you to ensure this text does not include anything you wish to keep private.
  We direct people towards the Shortlist page in our marketing, so this is an excellent way for your entry to receive additional attention.
• You may enter as many categories as you wish, but the same submission  cannot be entered in more than one category (nor should you submit and entry that is substantially the same, in a second category).
  If you are unsure which is the best category for your entry, please contact david.suter@timeshighereducation.com to discuss your options.
• An institution may submit up to five entries per category, if the featured projects or initiatives are unrelated, otherwise, we advise you to combine the best elements of each to create a stronger single entry.
  (Please note that some categories recognise work at an institutional rather than departmental level, so entries to these should include multiple components in a single submission, all forming part of an overall strategy.)
• You may enter a project that has been undertaken in collaboration with an external public or private partner, but the award will be given to the winning higher education institution.
• If your entry is based on a collaboration with other institutions, the submission should come from the lead institution. In such cases, please enter , in collaboration with <other institution/s> or in cases where the institutions are working under a collective banner or project name, <project name> (<list of participating institutions>), in the ‘Institution‘ field on the entry form, and we will credit all institutions if shortlisted.
• If there is no lead institution in a collaborative project, in order to avoid multiple entries focusing on the same activity, please agree on who will make the submission on behalf of the partnership, and enter and  in the ‘Institution’ field.
• Entries can be completed by anyone working at an institution, or consultants working on an institution’s instruction. If you are entering on behalf of an institution, please ensure that you supply an institutional contact as well as your own.
• If you are an individual considering submitting an entry, we ask that you let senior management and your university’s marketing team know that you are doing so (though no formal letter of approval is required by THE).
• If you are shortlisted, we will send you a notification email that will include your unique Nomination code number. This number is also included in the email you receive confirming your entry, so please check that these numbers are the same.
• The shortlist will be published on this website and on the main THE News page on 17 July 2025, with the winners being announced at a ceremony taking place during our THE Arab Universities Summit in Amman, Jordan 25 November 2025.

If you have any questions, please email THEawardsarabworld@timeshighereducation.com.

Supporting material

Documents should be in PDF or Word doc format.

• Supplementary documents may be submitted – these should support or expand on statements made in the main submission (you should not use these documents simply as an extension of your 500-word submission). In total, supporting documents should comprise no more than four sides of A4.
• Supporting materials may include photographs, tables, graphs, documents containing statistics, testimonials, supporting research, evaluation or inspection reports, promotional materials and media coverage (PowerPoint and video files will not be accepted; however, you may submit screenshots).

Any information submitted outside these guidelines will not be considered as part of the submission.

Entry form

To help you prepare entries, these are the specific requirements on the entry form:

1. Nominee or key personnel (if you wish to highlight the role of specific people)
2. Submission title or project name (if applicable)
3. Project URL or link to further information about your entry (if applicable – this link will be published if the entry is shortlisted)
4. Institution name*
5. Submission text * (address specific criteria – strict limit of 500 words)
6. Abridged submission * (this will be published if the entry is shortlisted - strict limit of 150 words)
7. Supporting material 1
8. Supporting material 2
9. Upload institution logo *
10. Additional contact details

* mandatory field