Dubai Land Department (DLD) has partnered with the International Property Awards (IPA), a renowned international awards programme in the real estate sector, to establish a specialised branch of the programme in Dubai called the ‘International Property Awards Dubai’ (IPAD).

Under the new partnership between the two parties, IPAD will become a state-of-the-art global real estate industry excellence programme that invites a wide range of architects, developers, interior designers and other Dubai real estate professionals to be nominated for awards focused on design, quality, service, innovation, originality and commitment to sustainability.

His Excellency Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD, commented: “We are pleased to partner with IPA as part of our ambitious mission to further enhance the real estate sector and motivate all stakeholders to offer their best innovations. Our real estate market remains at the forefront of international markets in terms of quality and excellence.”

Bin Mejren added: “IPAD will add a new dimension to the sector, as it allows participants to compete at the local, regional and global levels, which in turn contributes to promoting our real estate projects worldwide. It will also help to attract investors looking for exceptional opportunities in a stable market with guaranteed return on investment, in addition to Dubai’s unique features, which make the Emirate a leading investment destination.”

The partnership has been signed just two years before the launch of Expo 2020, aiming to highlight Dubai’s outstanding project, excellence in design and energy efficiency. IPAD winners will be awarded on a global or five-star level. The five-star winners will continue to compete in regional Arab property awards and can also enter international awards, which will be announced at the end of the year in London.

Her Excellency Majida Ali Rashid, Assistant Director General and Head of the Real Estate Investment Management and Promotion Center, commented: “Our partnership with IPA confirms DLD’s dedication to providing all possible opportunities for the promotion of our real estate market and to achieve the highest standards of excellence by honouring the best work in our field. IPAD will be a new episode in the awards series that recognises real estate innovations and achievements to further develop the industry and reach world-class standards.”

Stuart Shield, CEO of IPA, said: “Our new partnership with DLD is an exciting development of the IPA programme and we look forward to working closely with them. Through the partnership, we look forward to seeing more of Dubai's top winners continuing to compete and win globally.”

This year marks the 25th edition of the IPA, which is open to residential and commercial real estate professionals from all over the world and celebrates the highest levels of achievement in the fields of architecture, interior design and real estate development.

The awards are judged by an independent jury of more than 80 industry experts, led by four Lords from the UK. The awards programme covers 48 different residential and commercial categories, with regional versions covering the Arab region, Europe, Africa, Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Asia and the Pacific. The event has been celebrated in a number of major cities and capitals, such as Bangkok, Dubai, London and Toronto, during the year. The worldwide award winners are announced annually in December at the Savoy Hotel in London.