Dubai Culture Announces Islamic Creative Economy Competition in Partnership with DIEDC

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts, heritage, and literature, in partnership with Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC), announced the ‘Islamic Creative Economy (ICE)’ International Competition, aiming to promote new ideas that strive to redefine the nexus of culture, commerce, and technology, as well as to help the artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs behind them bring their visions to life. 

The competition was open to all regardless of gender, nationality or religion, who find inspiration in the heritage of Islamic culture and conceive a business idea that links to the creative economy.  The winners will be announced 30th October during the fourth Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES) that will take place in Dubai.

HE Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General at Dubai Culture, commented: “The Authority is fully aligned with the UAE leadership’s economic diversification objectives and the 2013 directive issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance Dubai’s position as a global capital of the Islamic Economy. The Islamic Creative Economy plays a significant role in achieving this mission, as it is part of the ‘Islamic Lifestyle,’ which was selected by the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre as one the three pillars of its strategy alongside ‘Islamic Finance’ and the ‘Halal Industry.’”

Al Nabouda continued: “ We at Dubai Culture are always keen to drive the creative economy by establishing a favourable framework for its growth. We organise and support a diverse array of events, initiatives, and partnerships to nurture talent, promote synergy between the creative industries, and position Dubai as a global cultural capital. Our partnership with DIEDC is a consolidation of this vision and a further emphasis on the integral mission of reinforcing the new vision of Dubai as the capital of the Islamic Lifestyle. We are honoured to be presenting the ICE Competition during the upcoming GIES event and look forward to consistently build an environment where creative individuals and industries can flourish.”

Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIEDC, said: “Thanks to the strategic partnership and cooperation between Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and DIEDC, the launch of the first Islamic Creative Economy Competition will contribute unlimited support to the DIEDC strategy during the coming years that gives priority to Islamic lifestyle as one of three key strategic pillars. The competition will encourage innovators and creative thinkers to support the drive towards a knowledge-based economy.

“We realize that the growth of Islamic economy is based on the restoration and revival of Islamic culture. The clear majority of Muslim peoples are young people who constitute a powerful force as producers and consumers, and a force that wants to express itself through arts, hobbies and creations,” he added.

“The impact of Islamic economic culture depends not only on Muslims but also on the vast number of investors. The sectors of the Islamic economy, which reach more than 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, are still considered to be emerging and capable of receiving more investments. Therefore, there is no limit to investing in the cultural and artistic sectors of the Islamic economy. They are not only emerging sectors, they are also expected to develop and link the past and present in a new artistic context and a new culture. The Islamic Creative Economy Competition is designed to shed light on innovative and creative ideas that offer a new definition of the links between culture, trade and technology, and give support for artists, innovators and entrepreneurs to express their artistic and creative visions.”

In 2017, DIEDC launched its refreshed Islamic Economy Strategy (2017-2021) that focuses on identifying new key performance indicators 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.

In the context of this new strategy, DIEDC, in partnership with Dubai Culture, worked on a few initiatives to reinforce the new vision of Dubai as the capital of Islamic Lifestyle. Based on a yearlong study for the Islamic Culture and Art Economy Report, and a citywide survey of residents, Dubai Culture officially submitted five initiatives related to the Islamic Lifestyle.

As part of the Dubai Culture’s ongoing efforts to promote Islamic culture abroad, in 2017 the Authority launched its ‘Global Perspectives on the Islamic Creative Economy’ book, featuring interviews that present the opinions of experts from local and international experts about how to consolidate Dubai’s position as an international centre for the Islamic Creative Economy, the book was launched several cities such as Dubai, London and Melbourne. Additionally, in 2016 Dubai Culture hosted the Islamic Coins exhibition collaboratively with the Islamic Museum of Australia.

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.