What is Dubai-it?

What is Dubai-it and why are you seeing it on Dubai billboards?

That is the question residents and tourists are asking after electronic displays across Dubai highways began promoting a new word that the city has now officially adopted as both a philosophy and a verb.

Dubai-it has been introduced as a campaign and strategic mindset that defines how the emirate approaches progress, describing it as the ability to “achieve something extraordinary with excellence in record time.”

The concept reflects Dubai’s long-standing model of rapid development and ambitious delivery, where large-scale ideas are executed quickly without compromising quality.

There are few cities that can turn a national work philosophy into a public-facing brand, but Dubai’s leadership has positioned “Dubai-it” as a formal expression of its identity as a city built on speed, ambition and execution.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said the philosophy is rooted in results-driven performance. “Dubai's philosophy of work is based on achieving exceptional results in record time with mastery and excellence.

Speed does not mean haste, quality does not mean slowness, and ambition has no value without execution,” Sheikh Mohammed said via X. The Dubai-it framework is set to be integrated across government institutions and wider organisational culture, shaping how future generations are trained to think about performance, innovation and delivery.

The initiative also extends into education and leadership development programmes, including work led by the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development, which is aligning training models with the philosophy.

Alongside the campaign, Dubai has launched the Dubai-it Award, directed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, to recognise individuals, organisations and projects that embody the philosophy in practice.

The award is designed to highlight achievements that demonstrate innovation, transformation and measurable impact across multiple sectors, including government, business, education, technology and community development. It will recognise winners across three main categories: projects, institutions and individuals.

Project awards include government initiatives delivering results in record time, technology-driven projects, educational programmes embedding the Dubai-it approach, and real estate projects creating urban impact.

Institutional awards will honour government bodies known for speed and effective outcomes, as well as companies that have achieved significant transformation. Individual categories will recognise government project managers, entrepreneurs and innovators who have turned ideas into measurable success. PIA/ICA/Expat Media