Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, celebrated the winners of The Extraordinary Challenge during a special ceremony held at the Etihad Guest Terrace during the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over the weekend.

Recognising and rewarding 10 extraordinary guests as the first to fly to complete the challenge and announcing the top three winners to become Miles-millionaires.

Launched in May of this year, The Extraordinary Challenge dared Etihad Guest members to visit 15 of the year-round new destinations the airline had announced at the time.

Since the launch of the competition Etihad continues its strategic and rapid expansion having announced 31 new route launches to date, including Palma de Mallorca, Salalah and Krakow to begin operating from next year.

To date, nearly 50K Etihad Guest members have signed up to compete, 20% of which are new members to the programme, highlighting a strong interest and value in the airline’s gamified challenge.

75% of members are based outside of the UAE and 5 of the 10 finalists were also based outside of the UAE, demonstrating the global community The Extraordinary Challenge has engaged.

Of the 15 valid destinations, Warsaw, the third of Etihad’s new routes this year, has been the most popular for competitors.

The event brought together travellers from across the globe to Abu Dhabi to mark the culmination of a year-long race, rewarding explorers who turned their travel ambitions into reality.

A journey that rewarded individual achievement and showcased Abu Dhabi as the vibrant home and meeting point of the expanding Etihad network.

During Abu Dhabi’s biggest weekend of the year, Etihad announced the First, Second and Third place winners who received five million, three million and one million Etihad Guest Miles respectively.

In addition to the main awards, the first 10 members who completed the challenge received a prize of 100,000 miles, recognising the dedication and spirit of the community that has grown from the global race.

Etihad Guest also introduced special recognition prizes for Most Creative Participant Award and The Extraordinary Accelerator Award, celebrating members who went beyond borders and found inspiring ways to achieve their goals, each were awarded an additional 50,000 miles.

Mark Potter, Managing Director of Etihad Guest, said: “The Extraordinary Challenge has truly lived up to its name and the spirit of adventure each of our participating members has shown around the world is a testament to the passionate community we’ve created globally. Each of our winners has demonstrated what it means to give flight to ambition, and we’re thrilled to celebrate and reward their achievements.”

“The challenge is far from over with nearly 50K members still in play to achieve The Extraordinary Milestones and the competition still open to new sign-ups for the chance to earn up to 125K miles.” He added, “There are still miles to be earned and milestones to be reached for anyone ready to embark on their own extraordinary journey. The challenge continues to unite a global community of travellers through Abu Dhabi.”

The competition remains open until 25 May 2026, with more than 11 million Etihad Guest Miles still available to be won.

Participants can track their progress on their individual journey to achieve The Extraordinary Milestones through Etihad Guest’s live race dashboard and digital passport, which stamps each new destination and displays their position against other members.

Both new and existing Etihad Guest members can register for the challenge at etihad.com/extraordinary to compete, track progress and earn prizes until 25 May 2025.

Members are encouraged to share their adventures using the hashtag #EYextraordinarymiles as they continue their race to the finish line. -TradeArabia News Service