The Dubai Press Club announced that the Board of Directors of the "Arab Media Awards," organized under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, approved the winning entries in the printed, visual, and digital categories, as well as the two winners for the “Best Columnist” and “Media Personality of the Year” categories during the 24th edition of the awards.
According to a statement from the organizing body, this approval "came during the meeting of the award’s board, chaired by Muna Ghanem Al Merri, Deputy Chair and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and Chair of the award’s board, via video conferencing," recording "the members’ discussions on the various stages of the judging and selection processes and the criteria adopted by the committees in choosing the winners based on the specific conditions of the award across its categories, which saw strong competition among major media institutions and journalists across the Arab world."
Jassim Al Shamsi, Director of the Arab Media Awards, stated that "the General Secretariat of the Arab Media Awards is set to honor the winners during the awards ceremony, which will take place this year concurrently with the Arab Media Summit on May 27, in the presence of a distinguished gathering of Emirati and Arab media leaders, prominent writers, journalists, heads of major Arab media institutions, and editors-in-chief of newspapers and news websites across the Arab world."
Clear Stakes
As noted in the aforementioned statement, "During the meeting, Muna Ghanem Al Merri expressed her gratitude to the members of the Board of Directors and everyone who contributed to completing all stages of the award leading to the selection of the winners in this current cycle, especially the judging and sorting committees that have worked continuously over the past months to ensure that the best works reached the final stages according to the approved criteria, allowing the award to remain a model of inspiration in applying the highest principles of integrity and transparency in evaluation and selection."
She added, "What distinguishes the award is not only that it crowns excellence, stimulates competition, and raises the bar of creativity, but it also embodies Dubai’s identity in supporting the media’s role as an effective tool in human development. Based on this vision, we strive to enrich the award’s contributions in developing media content and the media system in the Arab world in general, considering it the foremost Arab award celebrating excellence in the media field."
Al Merri also highlighted that this year’s edition witnessed a distinctive level regarding the volume and diversity of submissions, as the award’s General Secretariat received works from various media institutions in the region as well as from journalists working in Arabic newspapers across the Arab world, confirming that all works that reached the approval stage underwent lengthy sorting and judging processes by specialized and impartial committees.
Continuous Development Path
For her part, Meitha Bouhamid, Secretary-General of the Arab Media Awards, expressed her appreciation to all who contributed to the success of this edition of the Arab Media Awards, affirming the continued role of the award in honoring creatives who enrich the media landscape. She stated, "We highly value the pivotal role of the award’s Board of Directors and its commitment to ensuring that the award keeps pace with the rapid developments witnessed by the media sector both regionally and globally."
Bouhamid added during the meeting that "the development of the award’s operational framework is ongoing, as it undergoes annual periodic discussions with Board members aimed at exploring ways to develop the award and its categories in line with our continuous commitment to keep pace with all rapid media changes and achieve qualitative leaps that elevate the award to higher levels of excellence, reflecting the UAE’s and Dubai’s approach to development and innovation across all fields."
Overview of the Award
The same statement reminded that the "Arab Journalism Award" serves as a central pillar of the Arab Media Awards and includes three categories: "Political Journalism," "Economic Journalism," and "Investigative Journalism."
The "Visual Media Award" encompasses five categories: "Best Economic Program," "Best Cultural Program," "Best Sports Program," "Best Social Program," and "Best Documentary Work."
The “Media Personality of the Year” award is granted by a decision of the Board of Directors to an outstanding Arab media figure in recognition of their contributions that have enriched the Arab media landscape across various fields, whether written, digital, or visual, and for their extended efforts over the years to enhance the Arab media scene with creative thinking and innovative visions that have left clear positive marks on society at large. Additionally, the "Best Columnist" category is also awarded by a decision of the Board based on specific criteria.
The same source noted that the Board of Directors of the "Arab Media Awards" includes: Meitha Bouhamid, Executive Director of the Marketing and Communication Sector at Dubai Media Incorporated and Secretary-General of the award, Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, Ghassan Charbel, Editor-in-Chief of Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper, Nayla Tueni, Chair of the Board of Directors of Annahar newspaper, writer and journalist Emad Al-Din Adeeb, Mohammed Al Hammadi, Director General of the UAE News Agency (WAM), writer and thinker Mohammed Al-Rumahi, and Ahmed Al-Muslamani, Head of the National Media Authority and Head of the Cairo Center for Strategic Studies.
The board also includes: Abdul Rahman Abu Malah, CEO of Thamriah, journalist Ammar Taqi, founder of the Black Box program, writer Susan Al Sha’ar, Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Araimi, Chairman of the Omani Journalists Association, Raed Barqawi, Executive Editor of Al Khaleej newspaper, Faisal Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, and Hassan Kanouni, General Director of Hespress electronic newspaper.
