GEC Awards 2026 · The Velvet Edition

Where Excellence Takes Centre Stage

An evening celebrating the visionaries, innovators and leaders shaping the future of the ICT industry.

The 12th Milestone 7 December 2026 Dubai Venue to be announced

About the Awards

Recognising the minds moving technology forward

The GEC Awards are the region’s stage for excellence and innovation in ICT, and this year the stage is draped in velvet.

GEC Awards 2026 presents The Velvet Edition, a celebration of vision, innovation and extraordinary achievement. The evening honours technology leaders, pioneering organisations and industry innovators across vendors, channel partners, service providers and enterprise projects.

As the awards mark their 12th milestone, they carry forward a legacy of trust, innovation and empowerment built with the region’s ICT community. Every achievement has a story. Every visionary leaves a legacy.

LeadershipHonour leadership that advances the ICT ecosystem
InnovationRecognise meaningful innovation and successful technology implementation
PartnershipCelebrate the partners who connect vision with execution
CommunityCreate a memorable meeting point for the technology community

Dave Crane speaks from the lectern at GEC Awards 2025 — **GEC Awards 2025.** Dave Crane on stage.

Award Categories

The Icons of Excellence

Seven categories recognising the distributors, resellers, vendors, integrators, service providers and project teams that move the region’s technology landscape forward.

All entries are judged by the GEC Awards jury. Read the nomination guidelines.

Nominations close 15 November 2026. Select a category to open its form.

The Velvet Experience

An Evening Draped in Distinction

Deep burgundy velvet, warm theatrical light focused on the winners and the trophy, and a room full of the region’s technology leaders. The night unfolds in four acts.

Performers greet guests at the GEC Awards welcome entrance

Act I · Arrive

The Welcome

An elegant branded welcome, a red-carpet arrival and a photographic entrance.

A full ballroom of guests at GEC Awards 2025

Act II · Connect

The Room

Premium hospitality and meaningful peer-to-peer networking with industry leaders.

The awards ceremony on stage in front of a seated audience at GEC Awards 2025

Act III · Celebrate

The Ceremony

A high-impact awards presentation recognising the winners and industry excellence.

Honourees on stage holding their awards at GEC Awards 2024

Act IV · Remember

The Legacy

Entertainment, photography, and editorial and digital coverage that preserve the defining moments.

Photography from previous GEC Awards editions.

The Running Order

How the evening unfolds

Shown from the 2025 ceremony as a guide. The 2026 programme will be announced closer to the date.

6:30 PMRegistration
7:35 PMDoors open Opening performance
7:50 PMWelcome note
8:00 PMOpening note Ronak Samantaray, CEO, GEC Media Group
8:20 PMAwards, first and second segments
9:00 PMEditor’s note Arun Shankar, Managing Editor, GEC Media Group
9:50 PMAwards, third to sixth segments
10:30 PMBest Dressed awards
10:45 PMClosing note Closing performance

Nomination Guidelines

Before you nominate

Everything an organisation needs to know before submitting an entry for GEC Awards 2026.

Eligibility

The GEC Awards 2026 are open to organisations of all sizes in the Middle East.

Submission format

All entries must be submitted electronically through the nomination form.

Application requirements

Fill out all fields in the nomination form with detailed and thorough answers. The jury uses this information during evaluation, and reserves the right to move an application to another category if it sees fit.

Judging panel

All entries are judged by the GEC Awards jury.

Confidentiality

All entries are kept confidential.

Attendance

Award winners must agree to be present at the awards ceremony on 7 December 2026.

Nomination deadline

Nominations close on 15 November 2026.

Nomination enquiries

Arun Shankar, Managing Editor
arun@gecmediagroup.com
+971 54 445 5594

In Their Words

What the recognition means

We are honoured to have won a GEC Awards that has the reputation of being one of the most coveted and prestigious titles in the IT industry in the Middle East and Africa region.

Philippe Jarre CEO, Mindware

“Across the region, we aim to be a trusted advisor to our customers and partners, as we work towards helping them realize their digital transformation agendas. This award is a reflection of that commitment.”

Mohammed Amin Senior Vice President, Dell Technologies

“We are excited to have been recognized as the ‘Top System Integrator – Security’. Our three decades of expertise and partnerships have allowed us to become a trusted advisor…”

Hani Nofal VP, Digital Infrastructure Solutions, GBM

“We humbly accept this as a validation of the effort our team, our technology and channel partners who have been putting in their best to keep the regional organisations ahead of threats.”

Sanjeev Walia Founder & President, Spire Solutions

A Legacy of Recognition