Engineers Award 2026: Lifetime Achievement Awards presented to three recipients; Dr. Furqan named Engineer of the Year!

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has officiated the "Engineers Award 2026," a ceremony organized by the Maldivian government to honor engineers who have rendered invaluable service to the nation and those who continue to demonstrate exemplary professional excellence.

The government has described the "Engineers Award 2026," held Thursday night at Barcelo Nasandhura, as a historic milestone in granting national-level honor and prestige to professionals in the engineering sector. This initiative recognizes the construction industry as a vital pillar of the Maldivian economy and acknowledges the dedicated contributions of local engineers and stakeholders toward the nation’s development and the advancement of the engineering field.

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing, and Urban Development opened nominations for this year’s Engineering Awards across 10 distinct categories. The honors presented at the ceremony include the Sustainability Champion Award, Engineering Innovation, Technology, Education and Research Award, Young Engineer Award, Student Innovator Award, Community Impact Award, and the Women in Engineering Award.

Furthermore, the honors presented on Thursday night included the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Engineer of the Year Award. These accolades were presented to the recipients by the President.

The "Engineers Award 2026" honored three distinguished individuals with the Lifetime Achievement Award, two of whom were recognized posthumously. The recipients of this prestigious accolade were Abdulla Shakir Salih, the late Ahmed Mahreen, and the late Mohamed Rasheed.

Dr. Furqan Ibrahim was honored with the Engineer of the Year award at the ceremony.

President Muizzu announced that the government will introduce a national-level award for engineers to recognize their invaluable contributions to the nation. This announcement was made in a message delivered on August 30, 2025, to mark the Maldives' first-ever National Engineers' Day.

The President has designated August 30th as National Engineers' Day in the Maldives. This date was chosen to commemorate the inauguration of the Sinamalé Bridge—the largest infrastructure development project in the nation's history—which took place on August 30th, making it the most fitting day to honor the engineering profession.

However, as these awards were presented, some have noted a sense of incompleteness, pointing out that many prominent figures who have made significant contributions across various fields of engineering were notably absent from recognition.