The UAE Drones for Good Award, which offers a top prize of $ 1 million to the winners, has opened entries for the second edition of the award from individuals, teams, universities and companies from around the world.

The award in its first edition was a hugely successful event, attracting more than 800 submissions from 57 countries.
The award aims to encourage innovation in the civilian application of drones technology and promote the development of legal frameworks in this area.

The main categories of the award include Environment, Education, Logistics, Transport, Construction & Infrastructure, Healthcare, Civil Defence, Tourism, Social Services, Economic Development, Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief.

Submissions for the award, which also features a National competition, will be accepted until November 1.

Participants can register through the Award website (dronesforgood.ae) along with submissions of their videos and proposals. The proposals will be reviewed by a judging panel of global experts following which 10 applicants from each category in the International and National competitions will be selected for the next round which will be announced on November 22.

The semi-finalists will be brought to Dubai to present a working prototype and give a live demonstration of their ideas in front of the panel of judges, which includes high-profile experts and specialists in drone technologies. The members of the panel of judges will be announced at a later date. The winners will be honoured at a special ceremony in February 2016 before the fourth Government Summit in Dubai.

Applicants are required to suggest new ways of improving an existing service using drones, or offer new services that could be implemented through these technologies. In addition, the projects should be semi- or fully autonomous and use the most advanced civilian technology available. They should also be safe and economical.

The 'UAE Drones for Good Award' was launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the second Government Summit in February 2014.

In the first edition of the award, a collision resistant drone by Swiss team Flyability won the $1 million prize in the International Competition while Wadi Drones by Matt Karau received the Dh 1 million ($272,000) prize in the National Competition. – TradeArabia News Service