Dubai ceremony recognises teachers, school leaders and teams driving excellence across the UAE’s education sector, with Huawei partnering to bring technology into the conversation
The Education Achievement Awards, organised by Stratos Pulse, returned for its second year to recognise the teachers, school leaders and teams shaping education across the UAE. Held at Grosvenor House, Dubai, the ceremony drew close to 200 nominations from more than 30 schools, a 45% year-on-year increase in nominations and almost 50% growth in participating schools, including 15 entering for the first time.
The ceremony brought together close to 190 guests, with 46 schools represented.
The awards recognise the day-to-day work of UAE educators that often goes unseen: the planning, mentorship and leadership that shape a school’s culture long before results are announced. As the region positions itself as a global education hub, the growth of an independently judged awards platform reflects a sector investing in the people behind its progress.
BC Academy International School was named School Team of the Year, the evening’s top honour. Brighton College Dubai won Secondary School Team of the Year and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Initiative of the Year, while Deira International School took Primary School Team of the Year and Horizon English School won Foundation Stage Team of the Year. Sabari Indian School won Inclusion Programme of the Year.
Joanna Povall of Wales International School was named Head Teacher of the Year, while colleague Nawal Al Azzeh was recognised as Unsung Hero of the Year. GEMS-operated schools won four teacher-focused categories, while Taaleem schools took Classroom Teacher of the Year and PE Department of the Year.
“I am truly honoured to be named Head Teacher of the Year. This recognition reflects the dedication and professionalism of the entire Wales International School team,” said Joanna Povall, Principal, Wales International School.
Winners were selected by an independent judging panel including BSME, COBIS, High-Performance Learning, WomenEd and Teach Middle East Magazine.
“I was impressed by the focus on whole school impact, with benefits evident for students, staff and the parent community. The strongest submissions triangulated feedback from different perspectives, giving a rich picture of the impact achieved,” said Deniece Wheeler, Global Development Director, Council of British International Schools.
“The Education Achievement Awards were created to give the people behind UAE’s schools a platform for recognition,” said Daniel Fewtrell, Managing Director of Stratos Pulse. “What matters most is what sits behind those nominations: educators, teams and initiatives doing exceptional work, much of which happens without wider recognition.”
Technology partner Huawei presented four major awards and gave educators access to tools including AI Tutor, GoPaint and the HUAWEI MatePad Air, sparking conversation around technology’s role in supporting learning and creativity.
The full list of 2026 winners is available on request.
