FAIRFAX, United States of America, September 28, 2026/APO Group/ –The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, has issued a call for entries for the 2027 (eighth annual) Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards (www.MENA.StevieAwards.com), sponsored by the RAK Chamber of Commerce & Industry (www.RAKChamber.ae). Entry kits and complete details on the competition are available at https://MENA.StevieAwards.com.

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards are the region’s only awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace in all its forms. The awards are open to all organizations within 17 nations in the MENA region: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

All individuals and organizations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit any number of nominations to any number of award categories.

There are no entry fees in this awards program. Organizations may submit as many nominations as they would like, without cost. Instead, organizations named as temporary Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners can choose to pay a “winners fee” for each successful nomination to maintain their Stevie winner status.

Nominations may be submitted online through two entry deadlines. Winning nominations submitted by the first deadline, 29 October 2026, will qualify for reduced winners’ fees. The second and final entry deadline is 26 November 2026.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be publicly announced on 18 February 2027. Winners will be celebrated during an awards banquet in April 2027, with the date and location to be confirmed.

New for the 2027 Competition

The 2027 competition features many new and expanded categories across artificial intelligence, apps, events, websites, achievement, company and organization, communications, human resources, management, marketing, new products and services, social media, sustainability, and technology.

Nominations citing innovative achievements will be accepted and judged in both Arabic and English, in more than 150 categories across the following category groups:

• AI Innovation
• Apps & Websites
• Achievements
• Annual Reports & Other Publications
• Company/Organization
• Corporate Communications & Public Relations
• Customer Service
• Human Resources
• Individual Professionals
• Live & Virtual Events
• Management
• Marketing
• New Products & Services
• Public Sector Innovators
• Social Media
• Sustainability
• Technology
• Videos
• Thought Leadership

Winners of the 2026 edition with multiple Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards include Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, ADNEC Services, ADNOC Drilling, Al Dhafra Region Municipality, Batı Anadolu Group of Companies, Byrne Equipment Rental, Capital 360 Event Experiences, CarrefourSA, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Dubai Customs, Eastern Health Cluster, Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, FLO Group, GSTC, Hail Region Municipality, National Partnerships and Capacity Development Agency – Ministry of Culture, NMDC Energy, Ooredoo Kuwait, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Vision Production Company, Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), Saudi German Health UAE, TCS Dubai, Tosyalı Holding, Türkiye Sigorta, Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi A.Ş., and VakıfBank, among others.

The 2027 competition will be judged by more than 150 professionals around the world. Those who wish to apply to participate on one of the juries may do so at https://apo-opa.co/46PF9av

“Every material has a code. Material Intelligence dechiphers it.” This statement lies at the core of VitrA Tiles’ design approach, where it reinterprets naturally available materials through the combination of research, advanced technology, and design expertise. Adding on the aesthetic and technical potential of nature, VitrA Tiles transforms them into original surfaces to create new inspirations for contemporary architecture.

Three design languages

The Code concept represents three design languages to create Resincode, Geocode, and Metacode collections, which will be available to the visitors of Cersaie at the VitrA Tiles booth.

Resincode inspired by the porous, mineral-rich texture of natural concrete with natural transitions and layered surface effects, lending a minimalist, balanced, and refined surface aesthetic to contemporary interiors. Geocode draws inspiration from Spanish limestone, marble, quartzite, and gneiss, bringing the diverse geological heritage of natural stone to ceramic surfaces through a contemporary interpretation, featuring four distinct surface typologies: Alba, Imperio, Rio, and Merano. Metacode, with three distinct surfaces in gold, iron, and copper tones, brings the subtle tonal transitions and soft reflections of a patinated metal texture to ceramic surfaces, blending industrial character with a refined aesthetic.

New Technologies

At Cersaie 2026, VitrA Tiles also showcased its V-Flex and V-Tone innovations alongside its new collections.

V-Flex, powered by Välinge’s Ceraloc® locking technology, represents a tile installation solution which requires no adhesives. Thanks to its special side profiles, the system allows mechanical tile bonding, promising up to five times faster application, unlike conventional bonded tile applications. It supports precise alignment, even grout lines and a clean, professional finish. Individual tiles can be removed and replaced when needed, offering significant advantages to simplify maintenance and repair processes. It also offers acoustic comfort. V-Flex is recommended for retail stores, store chains, showrooms, offices, hotels, educational facilities and commercial spaces.

Focusing on tonal differences in ceramic manufacturing, V-Tone maintains color consistency and design integrity across different surfaces. The integration of V-Tone technology into VitrA Tiles’ production lines is continuing.

Taking place on 10 November 2026 at the NH Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, the Customer Experience Africa Awards form part of the CEM Africa platform and recognise the individuals, teams, technologies and initiatives raising the standard of customer experience across the continent.

For organisations considering whether to enter, the company they could be keeping provides a compelling indication of the calibre of the awards.

A growing roll call of African CX leaders

The 2025 awards attracted more than 80 entries and 31 finalists, culminating in eight award winners. Finalists represented organisations spanning financial services, technology, telecommunications, retail, insurance, public services and social impact.

Among them were Absa, Capitec Bank, Santam, Telesure Investment Holdings, Equity Bank, Takealot.com, NTT DATA, Frogfoot, Telviva, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, the University of Pretoria and South Africa’s Department of Social Development.

The 2025 winners included Serisha Iyer of Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, named Rising Star in CX; Alma Angela Olela of Jubilee Health Insurance, named CX Leader of the Year; and Franco Cotumaccio of Shadow Global, winner of Breaking Barriers in CX.

Corporate winners included Telesure Investment Holdings for Best Overall CX Solution, Krisp for Best Use of AI, Telviva for Best Enterprise Contact Centre Platform, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator for Best Customer Experience Team of the Year and the University of Pretoria for Best Citizen Experience Initiative.

That follows a 2024 edition in which winners included NCBA Bank, MultiChoice, Digital Solutions Group, Absa Bank and Telviva, alongside individual CX leaders from across the continent.

More than a trophy

For entrants, recognition through the CEM Africa Awards puts their work in front of a wider African CX community and an independent judging panel drawn from across the industry.

The 2026 judging panel includes global CX specialist Ian Golding; Andrew (Dré) Enebeli, Head of CX & Engagement at Access Bank; Dr Oliver Museka, President and Founder of IRDM College Eswatini; Jonathan Daniels, Managing Director of CX Centric; Joven Pillay, Partner and Head of Customer Consulting at KPMG; and Qaalfa Dibeehi, Managing Partner at Human2Outcome.

This year’s awards recognise excellence across four broad pillars – People, Innovation, Transformation and Government – covering categories including CX Leader of the Year, Rising Star in CX, Breaking Barriers in CX, Best Overall CX Solution, Best Use of AI, Best Enterprise Contact Centre Platform, Best Customer Experience Team of the Year, Best Digital Transformation in Public Services and Best Citizen Experience Initiative.

“The calibre of organisations and individuals recognised through the CEM Africa Awards demonstrates just how much extraordinary CX work is being done across the continent. These awards give that work a platform. Whether it is a major transformation programme, an innovative use of technology or an individual changing how their organisation thinks about the customer, we want to make sure Africa’s best work is being seen and recognised.”

• Briteny Price, Event Manager and CEM Africa Awards Director

Final opportunity to enter

Applications for the 2026 CEM Africa Awards are free and remain open until 30 September 2026. Finalists will be announced in October, ahead of the awards ceremony on 10 November at the NH Hotel, Sandton.

Organisations, teams and individuals working to improve customer and citizen experience across Africa are encouraged to submit their entries before the deadline.

Apply for the CEM Africa Awards 2026 by 30 September 2026

Submit your application (https://apo-opa.co/4hdcimx)

Explore the CEM Africa Awards

Visit the CEM Africa Awards website (https://apo-opa.co/4iNXzzM)