A nationwide competition inviting UAE citizens and residents to help design the official commemorative postage stamp for Eid Al Etihad 55 reaches its submission deadline on 7 October 2026.
The initiative, organised by Design Commission Abu Dhabi (DCAD) in partnership with Emirates Post, invited professional designers, visual artists, illustrators, graphic designers, university students and emerging creatives from across the UAE to contribute designs representing the country at 55. Media Office Abu Dhabi
The competition carries the theme “Be Part of History”, with entrants encouraged to interpret the UAE through ideas including its people, heritage, culture, architecture, nature, technology, community, achievements and future ambitions. DCAD
What entrants were asked to submit
This was not a competition for a single isolated image.
Each applicant was permitted one entry containing between three and six designs, all developed around a consistent theme.
Entrants also had to provide the story or concept behind their work, giving the judging committee context for the visual direction they selected. Media Office Abu Dhabi
The selected work must ultimately function as an official postage stamp, meaning the winning design can also be adjusted by Emirates Post to meet technical, production, postal and branding requirements. Media Office Abu Dhabi
An important rule: AI-generated designs are not allowed
One detail creatives should pay particular attention to is the competition’s originality requirement.
DCAD states that submissions must be original artwork created by the entrant.
Designs that are AI-generated, copied, traced or substantially based on existing artwork are not permitted, and AI-generated or substantially AI-created submissions will be disqualified. DCAD
That distinction matters at a time when generative tools are increasingly used in visual design.
For this particular competition, the organisers are explicitly asking for the entrant’s own original creative work.
What happens after the deadline?
Following the 7 October submission deadline, entries are due to be evaluated during October by a committee including representatives from Design Commission Abu Dhabi and Emirates Post. Media Office Abu Dhabi
Three finalists will be selected.
The official timetable currently gives 3 November 2026 as the date for announcing the winning design. DCAD
The prize structure is:
- AED 10,000 — first place
- AED 7,000 — second place
- AED 3,000 — third place Media Office Abu Dhabi
Subject to final Emirates Post approval and technical requirements, the winning design will then be developed and issued as the official Eid Al Etihad 55 commemorative postage stamp.
The stamp itself is scheduled to launch as part of the UAE’s 55th Eid Al Etihad celebrations. Media Office Abu Dhabi
Why a postage stamp still matters
A postage stamp is physically small, but commemorative stamps can become long-lasting records of particular moments in a country’s history.
They are collected, archived and circulated internationally long after the event they were created to mark.
That is why this competition is different from many temporary National Day design exercises.
The winning artwork is intended to become part of an official postal issue representing the UAE’s 55th year.
Why the open call was notable
The competition was not limited to established design studios.
Eligibility extended to UAE Nationals and residents, including university students and emerging creatives. DCAD
That opened a nationally significant commission to people already living, studying and working across the country rather than restricting participation to invited professional organisations.
For young designers in particular, the possibility of seeing their work transformed into an official Emirates Post stamp offered something more significant than another portfolio exercise.
MalluMetro Take
The interesting part of this initiative is not simply the AED10,000 first prize.
It is the possibility that an individual’s design could become a small piece of the UAE’s permanent visual record.
The submission stage ends on 7 October.
The next date worth watching is 3 November, when the winning design is scheduled to be announced.
And when the final stamp appears during Eid Al Etihad 55, it will be worth looking at not simply as another National Day graphic, but as the result of an open creative competition involving people from across the UAE.
Verified sources: Design Commission Abu Dhabi; Emirates Post; Abu Dhabi Media Office.