17 Emiratis That Absolutely Slayed 2016

2016 has been an absolute rollercoaster! Whether it’s been a good or bad year, a new start is just a few days away. If you’re on the hunt for inspiration while setting your resolutions for 2017, here’s a bunch of people who’ve kicked this year’s ass by being the definition of awesome.

 

 

This Emirati runner, Jalal Bin Thanya, who’s currently journeying across the UAE and has only seven days to do it. One hour late, and he loses his chance at a Guinness World Record

 

 

 

This ambitious student, Azza Al Bakr, who’s got her head in the clouds – literally!  After mastering the secrets to flying an aircraft on simulation, UAE’s space program is next on her list

 

 

 

This young genius, Ahmed Mohammed Alaseery, who won a robotics challenge for designing a robot with a modifiable arm that extends to effectively clean debris

 

 

 

This teenager, Kehkashan Basu, who won the International Children’s Peace Prize for her elaborate presentation and suggested a campaign to protect the environment

 

 

 

Teddy bears are too mainstream for 11-month-old Humaid Al Muhairi. With his first birthday around the corner, he won the keys to a Maserati sports car in a prize draw

 

 

 

This Emirati writer, Eman Talal Alsayed, who won a whopping 100.000 dirham grant at Dubai International Film Festival. She’ll be using the grant to transform her script into reality

 

 

 

2016 was a major score for UAE’s Omar Abdulrahman who was named player of the year by The Asian Football Association

 

 

 

Laura Allais-Mare partnered up with Times Hotel Management to launch The Urban Garden

 

 

Badass powerlifter, Mohammed Khalaf, brought not one but two gold medals to the UAE at the Paralympics. Khalaf was struck with polio as a child, but he hasn’t let that stand in his way

 

 

 

Abdullah Lutfi, who has autism, gets his works of art displayed in two shop windows at Bloomingdale’s in Dubai Mall showing daily life during Ramadan

 

 

 

Shamsa Al Mazrouei is redefining how UAE students perceive language lessons by designing a kick-ass VR video game. She won 30.000 dirhams in funding at GITEX’s Student Lab competition

 

 

A pair of professors at the United Arab Emirates University are taking things to the next level by working on putting together the nation’s first emotional robot

 

 

 

Shaima Al Tamimi, a local low-key Instagram star, spreads inspiration and wanderlust with her breathtaking shots of everything from felafels in quiet Satwa alleys to mezze at the Burj

 

 

 

Shaikha M. Al Ali, a photography and culinary art paragon, flaunts some major henna swag with her unconventional and geometrically unique henna designs

 

 

 

This Emirati artist strutting his best work with his teammates in Berlin as part of an initiative by Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi

 

 

 

This ambitious artist, El Seed, who designed an enormous calligraphic painting of a poem by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on the side of The Green Planet Dubai

 

 

 

Go-getter, Zainab Al Eqabi, took her first dive into the Ambassador Lagoon Aquarium in Atlantis, The Palm. She lost her leg at the age of seven when an unexploded bomb from the first Gulf War went off in her home. She’s a social media influencer

 

 

 

WE SAID THIS: This gives us hope for 2017.