Rules & Deadlines

IMPORTANT NOTE:

  • Entry submissions are free of charge.
  • The only cost will be associated with attending or sponsoring the gala dinner, with no connection whatsoever to winning the trophy.
  • Attendance of the gala dinner is mandatory for shortlisted companies. Should your company be among the winners, and you are unable to attend the event, a fee of US$ 950/- (+ shipping costs of the trophy outside the UAE) will apply.
  • If you wish to have your photo published with the trophy in the post-awards issue of the Climate Control Middle East magazine, you will have to submit your photo for us to arrange the design (or it can be taken at a location in Dubai at an extra cost).
  • Otherwise, the trophy alone will be shipped to you without the photograph at the nominal handling fee of US$ 290/- (+ shipping costs outside the UAE)

Rules

  • Each organisation or individual can only submit one entry per category, unless otherwise specified.
  • Each organisation or individual may apply to as many categories as are relevant to its work, but with the proviso that the same product or service cannot be entered into more than one category, except in the case of the ‘DOMINIC DE SOUSA AWARD FOR INNOVATION’. In other words, you may apply with the same product or service to a specific category, for example, ‘MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR (DX SYSTEMS)’, and to the ‘DOMINIC DE SOUSA AWARD FOR INNOVATION’, but do bear in mind that you would be required to answer the specific KPIs pertaining to the two categories.
  • You are required to confirm that your submissions have been granted the required local, national or international approvals for the market sector in which they are aimed. (Note: The judges reserve the right to conduct any such enquiries regarding confirmed approvals, as they see fit.)
  • Without exception, any performance claims you make in your entry must be substantiated through submitting documentary evidence.
  • Documentary evidence should be submitted only as attachments, as stipulated, not as links in an MS Word file, for instance.
  • Unless stated otherwise, it is mandatory to appear for an online evaluation meeting in front of the judges, for each of the categories you are applying to. The meeting is scheduled to take place from 27 - 29 October 2026. No additional or alternative opportunities will be provided for the meeting, so we urge you to block your calendar in advance.)
  • The meeting will comprise 10 minutes of Q&A.
  • A maximum of two persons per organisation will be permitted to attend the meeting with the judges, unless in the case of individual categories, such as ‘HVAC ENGINEER OF THE YEAR (CLIENT SIDE)’, which strictly is for individual engineers, who are either independent or are part of an organisation – only the engineer in question is permitted to attend. (If the judges sense that more than one individual, or two persons from an organisation, are participating in the meeting, they reserve the right to disqualify the entry.)

Deadlines

  • The deadline for submission of entries is 6pm (Gulf Standard Time, GMT+4), on Wednesday, 21st October 2026. (Entries submitted after the deadline will not be considered for evaluation.)
  • The Online Meeting with the judges will be from 27 - 29 October 2026.