Abu Dhabi: The Khalifa Award for Education announced on Tuesday that January 18 will be the deadline to accept applications for the eighth cycle of the award.

The award aims to advance the standards of national and regional education by honouring distinguished efforts and the creativity of educators.

“The sorting of applications will start on January 19 until February 6 to evaluate whether such applications meet the required criteria. Afterwards, an assessment and arbitration process will start by the judging committee,” Amal Al Afifi, secretary-general of the award, said.

“It is strongly recommended that all applicants prepare their materials early to ensure completion by the deadline,” she added.

Awards will be given in 11 categories for the 2014-2015 cycle, including public education, special needs, education and the sustainable environment, education and community service, higher education within the UAE and the Arab world, new media and education, educational research, projects and innovative educational programmes, educational authoring for children and the educational personality of the year.

A category to honour educators using creative practices in teaching Arabic language will be added to next year’s awards list.

Several workshops were conducted at the Emirates College for Advanced Education earlier this year to discuss innovative education practices and encourage all institutions to elevate the general perception of teaching.

The first International Khalifa Award Education Conference was also conducted earlier in the year to review the overall educational experience in the UAE and discuss ways of enhancing communication and interaction between institutions and families to improve the educational experience.

With the active follow-up of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the committee for the Khalifa Award has implemented an ambitious action plan to satisfy education-oriented aspirations and set sights on promoting educational research and projects.

Winners will be awarded cash prizes and certificates of excellence.