- What
- Business award incentives.
- Who
- Qatari-majority-owned businesses with 500 or fewer employees.
- Latest
- Last call for applications 2023 — 4th ROWAD Awards editionNewest dated item on its own site · checked Oct 2026
- Timeline
- Awards presented during Entrepreneurship Week in November ↗As published by the programme itself
Checked · October 2026 · qdb.qa/events-and-trainings/awards/rowad-qatar · How we check ↗
In detail
ROWAD Awards is a business awards in Qatar. Qatar Development Bank awards recognising Qatari entrepreneurs and their businesses. Do not confuse with the Rowad Entrepreneurship Conference, which last ran in November 2025 (11th edition) — the Awards' last confirmed edition was the fourth, in 2023.
- Amount
- Incentives not published on the awards page
- Eligibility
- Majority ownership must be held by Qatari nationals (not Qatari-only)
- workforce of 500 employees or fewer, at most 15% on temporary contracts
- holding companies and foreign companies with branches in Qatar cannot apply
- one standard application form, no category choice
- Status
- Last confirmed edition November 2023 — next edition not announced
What the source says
“Welcome to the 4th Rowad Awards 2023”
“application to the Rowad Awards 2023 is free”
“The awards aim to recognize Qatari entrepreneurs and their businesses.”
“Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has concluded the 11th edition of the Rowad Entrepreneurship Conference 2025”
“The three-day conference took place from 17-19 November 2025 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.”
“The event is an important part of the Qatar Entrepreneurship Conference (Rowad Qatar).”
Closing soon on the map
No published deadline in the next 30 days · All published deadlines →
Compare grants & prizes in Qatar
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ROWAD AwardsBusiness award incentives. | not published | No equity | Closed |
| FinTech Development Grant (QFTH)Milestone-linked co-funding of up to QAR 1.5M per company (QDB, Dec 2025). | up to QAR 1.5M | No equity | Open |
| QRDI Qatar Open Innovation (QOI)Up to US$100,000 in QRDI funding per challenge for a funded pilot. | up to US$100,000 | Funding per challenge | Closed |
| Innovation Coupon (Qatar Foundation RDI)Grant in three time-limited tiers that take an idea step by step to market. | not published | Grant | Active |
| Qatar–Spain Innovation Program (QASIP)Co-funding up to QAR 1.5M for 1–3 year bilateral Qatar–Spain R&D projects. | up to QAR 1.5M | No equity | Closed |
| QRDI SBIGGrants up to QAR 3M over 3 years, or phased QAR 800K–2.2M funding. | up to QAR 3M | No equity | Closed |
| QRDI Technology Development Grant (TDG)Co-funding up to QAR 10M per project; the company also carries a funding share. | up to QAR 10M | No equity | Closed |
| Stars of Science (Qatar Foundation)Qatar Foundation TV innovation competition; its FAQ lists a $300,000 first prize. | not published | Prize money | Closed |
| WISE Prize for EducationShare of a $1M prize pool; finalists get $100,000–125,000 each to build an MVP in 12 months. | $100,000–125,000 | No equity | Closed |
No programmes match these filters.
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does ROWAD Awards offer?
Business award incentives.
Does ROWAD Awards take equity?
No equity — grant.
Is it open now?
No — it is currently closed. The status on this page follows the programme’s own site.
How do I apply?
No application form is published. Its website is the way in.
Sources
Primary source · qdb.qa/events-and-trainings/awards/rowad-qatar · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/qatar-development-bank · Checked October 2026