Life

Voting is officially open for the Emirates Woman Woman of the Year Awards 2026, and the nominees across all thirteen categories have now been revealed. The awards mark forty-five years at the forefront of publishing in the Middle East for Emirates Woman, and this year’s programme honours the women featured in print and online between November 2025 and September 2026, reflecting the wider Emirates Woman family celebrated on the page and beyond. As the region’s leading voice in women’s fashion and lifestyle, the magazine has spent nearly half a century championing the extraordinary women shaping this region and beyond, and these awards shine a light on those achieving remarkable success in their industries while embodying the values that define the Emirates Woman family, among them integrity, authenticity, excellence and grit.

Click here to vote

Each of the thirteen categories showcases eight nominees put forward for a public vote, from which four finalists will be shortlisted before a jury of leading women from the region selects a winner in each field. From those thirteen winners, one woman will ultimately be named Emirates Woman, Woman of the Year.

Readers can now browse the full list of nominees, and clicking on a nominee’s picture will lead directly to her feature from the previous year, offering a chance to revisit her story before casting a vote.

The categories for 2026 are as follows

The Wellspring — Celebrating a woman whose calling is restoring balance in others.

The Curator — Celebrating a woman safeguarding and elevating culture as a champion of the arts.

The Visionary — Celebrating a woman whose creative vision leaves a lasting cultural footprint.

The Tastemaker — Celebrating a woman shaping how women present themselves to the world.

The Strategist — Celebrating a woman leading from within the system and driving structural change.

The Storyteller — Celebrating a woman whose voice inspires, informs, and endures.

The Maverick — Celebrating a woman who is the first through the door, blazing her own path forward.

The Standard-Bearer — Celebrating a woman setting the benchmark in fashion and jewellery.

The Changemaker — Celebrating a woman creating lasting impact and building community.

The Catalyst — Celebrating a woman transforming the way we live, move, and thrive.

The Vanguard — Celebrating a woman shaping fashion’s next generation.

The Alchemist — Celebrating a woman reimagining beauty through innovation and imagination.

The Innovator — Celebrating a woman redefining what’s possible.

Voting is open now across all thirteen categories, and readers are invited to explore each nominee’s story and cast their vote before the shortlist is announced.

VOTE HERE

Together, the thirteen categories reflect the wider Emirates Woman family celebrated on the page and beyond, and the winners will be revealed at a gala in November, where the magazine will bring its forty-fifth anniversary celebrations full circle with the women who have come to define it.

– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram

Images: Supplied & Feature Image: Supplied