The Ministry of Municipality has announced two competitions for farms participating in the 11th Local Dates Festival at Souq Waqif, offering a combined prize pool of up to QAR 97,000.
The Best Visual Display Competition for Agricultural Marketing will recognise farms that excel in presentation, marketing and visitor engagement, while the Golden Fresh Dates Basket Competition will reward the quality, consistency and visual appeal of locally produced fresh dates.
Both competitions aim to support Qatari farmers, improve agricultural marketing standards and encourage the use of best practices in producing and presenting local dates.
Best Visual Display Competition for Agricultural Marketing
The Best Visual Display Competition is open to farm owners participating in the festival.
A judging committee will visit the participating stalls and assess each farm’s display, marketing performance and customer engagement throughout the event.
How participating farms will be evaluated
The published criteria include:
- Farm participation in the festival — 10%
- Continuous attendance throughout the festival — 10%
- Innovative marketing methods and promotional offers — 20%
- Attractive visual presentation combining tradition and modernity — 20%
- Visitor engagement and the availability of cash and card payments — 15%
- Highest sales volume during the festival — 10%
The percentages shown in the official competition visual add up to 85%. Participating farms should therefore confirm with festival management whether an additional criterion accounts for the remaining 15%.
Farm display competition prizes
The top three farms will receive:
First place: QAR 10,000 and an appreciation certificate
Second place: QAR 7,000 and an appreciation certificate
Third place: QAR 5,000 and an appreciation certificate
The winners will be announced on the final day of the festival.
Applications must be submitted directly to the festival management.
Golden Fresh Dates Basket Competition
The Golden Fresh Dates Basket Competition is designed to encourage farmers to improve production quality and follow strong agricultural, harvesting and presentation practices.
The competition will take place across five non-consecutive days during the festival, with three winners selected at the end of each competition day.
Five fresh-date categories
Participating farms can enter baskets in the following categories:
- Mixed fresh dates
- Shishi
- Barhi
- Khenaizi
- Khalas
Each category gives farms an opportunity to showcase the quality and characteristics of different locally grown date varieties.
Evaluation criteria
The judging committee will assess each submitted basket based on:
- Optimal ripeness
- Size and uniformity
- Basket presentation and visual appeal
- Freedom from insect damage and other defects
These criteria focus on both the quality of the dates and the way the produce is sorted, prepared and presented.
How farms can participate
The competition process consists of four stages:
- Competition registration
- Submission of the fresh dates basket
- Evaluation by the judging committee
- Announcement of the winners
Participation is limited to farms taking part in the Local Dates Festival.
Golden Fresh Dates Basket prizes
Three prizes will be awarded at the end of each competition day:
First prize: QAR 7,000
Second prize: QAR 5,000
Third prize: QAR 3,000
A total of QAR 15,000 will be awarded on each of the five competition days, bringing the overall prize pool for this competition to QAR 75,000.
Combined prizes reach QAR 97,000
Together, the two competitions offer participating farms up to QAR 97,000 in cash prizes.
The farm display competition contributes QAR 22,000, while the Golden Fresh Dates Basket Competition offers QAR 75,000 across its five competition days.
The competitions add a professional and commercial dimension to the festival by rewarding farms not only for the quality of their dates but also for their marketing, customer service and product presentation.
Supporting Qatar’s local farms
The initiatives provide local farms with an opportunity to promote their produce directly to festival visitors while improving the standards used to market and present Qatari dates.
By focusing on agricultural quality, attractive displays, innovative promotion and visitor engagement, the competitions support the wider development of Qatar’s local farming sector and strengthen the presence of national produce in the market.
The 11th Local Dates Festival continues at Souq Waqif, bringing together participating farms, locally grown date varieties and activities celebrating Qatar’s agricultural heritage.
Editorial note: One official competition visual states that farms must be participating in the “10th Local Dates Festival,” although all current branding refers to the 11th edition. This appears to be a typographical error and should be confirmed with festival management before publication.
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