The Dubai Real Estate Institute, DREI, the educational arm of Dubai Land Department, DLD, and Awards International, have announced the launch of the second edition of the Gulf Real Estate Awards, which targets all companies operating in the real estate sector in the GCC.

The awards programme follows the directives of the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to pursue further innovation in the real estate market and encourage best practices among all real estate professionals, including developers, brokers, contractors, consultants and engineers, as well as facilities management and legal companies.

Mahmoud El Burai, CEO of DREI, said, "We have selected a group of experts and specialists in each award category to create an elite judging panel that demonstrates high levels of integrity and transparency while judging entries according to results-based benchmarks. The awards programme aims to create a culture of competition in the real estate sector and have a positive impact on the GCC’s property investment environment. It is fully aligned with the UAE’s approach to excellence in sustainability, creativity, happiness and competitiveness, and the award categories reflect the national agenda."

DLD has set a timetable for the first round of the awards, with the deadline for early submissions falling on 18th December, 2017 and the deadline for final submissions following on 27th December. The judging panel will announce the finalists in March 2018, in the run-up to the closing and awards ceremony on 21st March, 2018.