Salik Company PJSC, Dubai’s toll gate operator, has partnered with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority to launch a public design competition inviting artists to reimagine the Salik toll tag. The initiative, titled “Erth Dubai Through Your Eyes,” seeks original designs that reflect Dubai’s cultural diversity and contemporary creative scene.
The competition is open to artists, designers, calligraphers, graffiti artists, and members of the youth and creative communities. Participants are asked to submit original, previously unpublished designs that align with local values and traditions.
Entries will be accepted until 19 January 2026. The total prize pool is AED 100,000 (approximately USD 27,000). The first-place winner will receive USD 15,000, followed by USD 7,000 for second place and USD 5,000 for third. Winners will be announced during the 14th Sikka Art & Design Festival, scheduled to take place from 23 January to 1 February 2026 in the Al Shindagha Historic Neighbourhood.
Submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel comprising representatives from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Culture, and Salik. According to the organisers, the initiative is intended to support emerging talent, encourage experimentation, and expand Salik’s library of tag designs while increasing public engagement with the brand.
Salik’s chief executive, Ibrahim Al Haddad, said the collaboration supports youth creativity and responds to an initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum under the “Erth Dubai” framework. He added that the competition allows young creatives to contribute to products used daily across the city.
Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, said the partnership reflects the authority’s mandate to nurture talent and strengthen Dubai’s cultural and creative industries by encouraging artists to draw on the emirate’s cultural and heritage resources.
Photo credits: Government of Dubai Media Office
Oksana Bozhko is a Contributor to Dubai Voice.
Oksana Bozhko
