DUBAI, Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, attended the 21st edition of the Arab Media Award (AMA).
The event, held during the 20th edition of the Arab Media Forum (AMF), was organised by the Dubai Press Club (DPC), the representative of the General Secretariat of the Award.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed presented the awards for the Media Personality of the Year and the Best Column.
H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), and H.H. Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Media Incorporated, also attended the Award ceremony.
The ceremony, which honoured 14 winners across various categories, was attended by prominent media personalities and Arab journalists.
The winners were selected from thousands of entries from across the region.
Ahmed bin Mohammed congratulated the winners in three key media sectors, Journalism, TV and Digital Media, and wished them success in their journey of excellence which he said will contribute to raising standards in the region’s media.
Sheikh Ahmed also encouraged the winners to stay committed to delivering high quality content that serves the community’s interests. The Award’s ultimate objective is to enhance the media’s role in promoting development across Arab societies, he noted.
Diaa Rashwan, Chairman of the Board of AMA, congratulated the winners of the restructured Award, which this year includes new categories under two additional tracks besides Journalism – TV and Digital Media.
Rashwan expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, patron of AMA, for his support for the Award since its inception over two decades ago, which has helped raise its profile as a platform for recognising media excellence in the region.
“Dubai continues to push the boundaries of excellence. AMA reflects the city’s ambitious development vision, as part of which its projects and initiatives place a high priority on ensuring global standards. The Award provides an incentive for media organisations to aspire for greater creativity and excellence. The evaluation framework of the Award ensures the jury maintains the highest objectivity in assessing entries,” he said.
Mona Al Marri, President of DPC and Secretary General of AMA, praised the quality of entries this year, noting it reflects the capabilities of Arab media professionals.
She highlighted the constructive role of professionals in inspiring future generations to achieve new milestones.
“The Award seeks not only to honour media pioneers but also promote creativity among younger talent by highlighting outstanding excellence. Today, technology offers unlimited opportunities for the media to innovate. The Award also recognises media excellence on new digital platforms,” she said.
Al Marri added that the Award’s commitment to identifying and fostering exceptional talent and achievements has earned it the trust of the Arab media community. The Award will continue to strive to enhance the creative capabilities of the region’s media across the spectrum.
14 winners
The Arab Media Award winners represented daily newspapers, magazines, web portals and media organisations from the Arab world.
Khalid bin Hamad Al-Malik, Editor-in-Chief of Saudi daily Al-Jazirah, President of the Saudi Journalists Association and President of the Gulf Press Union, was named the Media Personality of the Year.
The Best Column Award was given to Dr. Rasheed Al Khayoun, a columnist for the UAE daily Al-Ittihad newspaper.
Winners in the Arab Journalism Award category:
Political Journalism Award: Mohamed Nabil Helmy from Asharq Al-Awsat
Investigative Reporting Award: Mohamed El-Sawy from the online news website Masrawy
Economic Journalism Award: Mohammed Issa from Al-Ahram Al-Arabi Magazine
Children’s Media Award: Hussein Al-Zanati from Aladdin Magazine, one of the publications of the Al-Ahram Foundation.
Winners in the Digital Media Award category:
Best News Platform Award: Saudi online news website Independent Arabia
Best Economic Platform Award: FollowICT platform in Egypt
Best Sports Platform Award: Bahraini platform KOOORA
Winners in the TV Award category:
Best Economic Programme Award: The ‘Future of Energy’ programme broadcast on the Al Arabiya news channel
Best Social Programme Award: ‘Ma’kom Mona El Shazly’ talk show, broadcast on the Egyptian channel CBC
Best Cultural Programme Award: ‘Rawafid’ programme, broadcast on the Al Arabiya news channel
Best Sports Programme Award: ‘Sada Al Mala’eb’ programme, broadcast on the MBC channel
Best Documentary Award: ‘My father was from Daesh’ documentary, broadcast on Sky News Arabia
Source: Emirates News Agency