Design Official Eid Al Etihad 55 commemorative stamp

Abu Dhabi, 16 September 2026: Under the chairwomanship of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Design Commission Abu Dhabi (DCAD), in partnership with Emirates Post, has launched a nationwide open call inviting UAE Nationals and residents to submit designs for the official Eid Al Etihad 55 commemorative postage stamp.

Under the overarching narrative Be Part of History, the initiative invites UAE Nationals and residents, including professional designers, visual artists, illustrators, graphic designers, university students, and emerging creatives from across the UAE, to contribute to a lasting expression of the nation’s identity, achievements, and aspirations. Through this competition, the UAE’s creative community has the opportunity to help shape how the nation’s story is captured and celebrated through design.

Established in 2025 with a mandate to advance Abu Dhabi-owned intellectual property and cultivate sustainable creative industries, DCAD creates opportunities for designers and creative practitioners to develop their capabilities, engage with the industry, and contribute to the UAE’s growing creative economy.

The open call extends this mandate into a nationally significant platform for creative participation, giving people across the UAE an opportunity to play a role in shaping the country’s visual history.

For generations, postage stamps have documented significant national moments, capturing elements of culture, identity, and progress in a format that travels beyond borders. The Eid Al Etihad 55 commemorative stamp will continue this tradition, creating a lasting record of the UAE at 55 and allowing the creative community to help shape how this milestone is represented.

Submissions are encouraged to reflect the spirit of the UAE through themes including its people, culture, innovation, heritage, ambitions, and vision for the future. Entrants may draw inspiration from areas such as architecture, nature, technology, community, and national identity, with creative interpretation encouraged within the final technical and brand guidelines provided by Emirates Post.

Participation in the open call is subject to the applicable competition terms and conditions, including eligibility, submission, intellectual property and data protection requirements. Emirates Post reserves the right to approve and make necessary technical or other modifications to the winning design to meet applicable technical, postal, production and branding requirements, in accordance with the applicable competition terms and conditions.

Each applicant may submit one entry comprising a minimum of three and a maximum to six designs, all based on a consistent theme. Entries must be accompanied by the story or concept behind the work. Apply here.

Applications will be accepted until 7 October 2026, followed by a committee evaluation in October 2026 by representatives from the DCAD and Emirates Post boards. Three entries will be selected as finalists, and the winning entry will be announced on 3 November 2026.

Subject to Emirates Post’s final approval and applicable postal/technical requirements and applicable competition terms and conditions, including the intellectual property rights granted to Emirates Post and/or DCAD in relation to the winning design, Emirates Post will finalise the design’s development, production and issuance as the officialEid Al Etihad 55 commemorative stamp, with the three finalists receiving cash prizes of AED10,000for first place, AED7,000for second placeand AED3,000for third place.

The official stamp will be launched as part of Eid Al Etihad 55, marking the culmination of an initiative that places creative participation at the centre of a significant national moment. Through the partnership, DCAD and Emirates Post aim to create a lasting cultural symbol that reflects the UAE’s story while recognising the role of its creative community in shaping how that story is expressed for future generations. Apply Here.

About the Design Commission Abu Dhabi (DCAD) 

Under the chairwomanship of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, DCAD’s strategy accelerates Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a leader in next-generation sustainable luxury, cultural production, and design-led innovation—while building the foundations of a future-ready creative economy in an AI-amplified world. 

Established in 2025 to create opportunities through an integrated framework that cultivates a world-class design and creative ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. Its board includes Nadine Maalouf, Vice Chairwoman; Rana Kuzayli El Khoury, Undersecretary and Treasurer; alongside board and advisory members Asma Al Fahim, Rym Al Falasy, Rima Al Mokarrab, Meera Al Suwaidi, and Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani.

Central to this vision is establishing Abu Dhabi as a producer and owner of globally relevant design intellectual property (IP), pioneering UAE-origin materials and textile innovations, and cultivating a world-class talent pipeline through international residencies, advanced training, and sector-aligned capacity building. 

These efforts are further strengthened through high-impact cultural showcases and strategic global collaborations that elevate Abu Dhabi’s creative influence on the world stage. Collectively, this integrated approach reinforces national creative industries, accelerates economic diversification, and generates new job opportunities across design, craftsmanship, and material innovation—positioning the Emirate at the forefront of global creative leadership.