The second Global Prompt Engineering Championship is under way in Dubai, bringing together top talent from around the world to compete for a Dh1 million ($272,290) prize pool.
Organised by the Dubai Future Foundation and the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the event is taking place on the sidelines of Dubai AI Week – a major platform showcasing the UAE’s growing influence in AI.
This year’s championship has drawn participants from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Brazil, South Africa, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Russia, Pakistan and India. The two-day competition, which began on Tuesday, highlights the global rise of prompt engineering – a skillset focused on crafting effective instructions for AI systems to generate precise, creative and context-aware outputs.
In addition to the coding, literature and art categories from the inaugural competition, this year introduced a new video category, reflecting the increasing role of generative AI in multimedia content creation.
“Choosing video was an interesting one given how revolutionary AI has been with video generation over the past year,” Hamad Al Shirawi, director of Dubai AI Week, told The National.
He said it was inspiring to observe how participants handled the pressure of the competition. “It’s really nice to be around them and see how each one of them is actually putting in their prompts in a very limited time, [it is] very stressful, being evaluated by these judges, actually producing meaningful outcomes – not just something that you and I can do quickly using one of the platforms,” he added.
“The championship is one of the activities that really looks at talent. It focuses on enabling the ecosystem and amplifying the opportunity. This only elevates, puts Dubai on the map and solidifies our position, but also attracts all these global names."
Sufyan Al Hussein, a filmmaker competing in the art category, said the first round tested participants with an unexpected creative challenge.
“It was about creating an illusion and limiting us to only three colours – red, green and black. It was challenging, to be honest, but we tried to make it as artistic as possible,” he told The National.
“I do use AI sometimes, for example, when I want to generate my mood boards, my storyboards,” he said, adding that his knowledge of art history, from Rococo to De Stijl, helped to guide his approach.
He said the registration process was simple and accessible. “You sign up, you do a test, or I would say like a challenge, you submit it and then you wait,” he said.
As he awaited the results of the second round, he remained hopeful. “I think the second prompt will be easier because there is nothing harder than this. It was very hard, but I think we’re doing amazing,” he said.
“I never thought of like winning the money itself. Maybe I want to feed my ego ... but I would reinvest it maybe also in some sort of AI service.”
The championship is one of several anchor events during Dubai AI Week, an event that brings together government leaders, tech executives, researchers and creators to explore the future of AI.
"This week is a culmination of our efforts ... bringing all of these events together gives more of a purpose, more of a well-rounded opportunity for people both based in Dubai and abroad to focus and capitalise on this week,” Mr Al Shirawi said.
Other events taking place include the AI Retreat, the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI, the Dubai AI Festival and the Machines Can See summit. The week also features a school programme to engage 50 institutions across the UAE in AI-focused activities.
The UAE, ranked among the top five countries globally for AI competitiveness, continues to build on its 2017 national AI strategy by investing in talent and creating platforms that encourage collaboration and innovation. The Global Prompt Engineering Championship exemplifies that mission – merging creativity, competition and cutting-edge technology to shape the next generation of AI leaders.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Cashew%0D%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202020%0D%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Ibtissam%20Ouassif%20and%20Ammar%20Afif%0D%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%0D%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%2410m%0D%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Mashreq%2C%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
