DUBAI: The UAE launched on Tuesday a global competition with a cash prize of $1 million for inventing UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to deliver services in the country.

This comes following an announcement of the government plan to use UAVs to deliver official documents.

Mohammed Abdullah Al-Gergawi, UAE minister of cabinet affairs, and chairman of the Higher Committee for Mobile Government, announced the competition on the sidelines of the Government Summit on Tuesday.

Drones’ help to deliver a variety of civilian services quickly and effectively will support the government’s drive to make life easier. Potential applications include the delivery of government documents, traffic and infrastructure monitoring, and services in health and education.

“Companies, universities, creative individuals and specialized professionals may participate in the competition. The inventions must meet global safety standards, must be highly reliable, and must be capable of covering a reasonable geographical range within the city that will use them,” he elaborated.

The international competition will be run by a committee of specialists in UAVs and government officials who will evaluate how effectively each UAV innovation would add value by making government services more efficient, and by saving time and effort for customers. The winner of the $1 million will be announced at next year’s government summit while the winner of the AED1 million local prize will be announced in May 2014.