Dubai: A total of 17 outstanding Arab journalists were honoured at the 16th edition of the Arab Journalism Award in a special ceremony held at the conclusion of Arab Media Forum (AMF) 2017 yesterday.
The winners represented daily newspapers, magazines, online web portals and media organisations from the Arab world who won awards with a total prize money of $305,000 (Dh1.13 million).
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, honoured some of the winners on stage. Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, also attended the award ceremony at Madinat Jumeirah.
The two-day event, held under the theme “Civil Dialogue”, had over 3,000 prominent media leaders, scholars and writers, who gathered to discuss the role of media in promoting civil dialogue through highlighting the important elements of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and mutual respect.
The winners were chosen from more than 5,000 nominations.
The Arab Journalism Award was established in November 1999 on the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in order to contribute to the development of Arab media.
Honouring outstanding and distinguished journalists contributes to encouraging creativity in Arab journalism.
The award included 14 categories and saw a total of 5,931 submissions by journalists competing from across the Arab world, as compared to 5,598 last year and a great increase from the awards’ first edition in 2000, which saw 800 participants.
The award for the Media Personality of the Year was given to Gassan Sharbel, Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al Awsat newspaper. It was the biggest award at $60,000.
Prominent Emirati journalist and writer Nasser Al Taheri won the Best Column Award and received $30,000 while Saudi Sabaq electronic newspaper won the $50,000 Smart Journalism Category award.
The award ceremony started with a short video about the recent key events of the world. Tunisian singer Latifa and Lotfi Bouchnaq performed a touching song about the current issues facing the Arab world.
Other attendees at the event included Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Mona Ganem Al Merri, Secretary-General of the Arab Journalism Award and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Arab Media Forum, apart from senior government officials and Arab journalists.
Arab Journalism Award winners
- Media Personality of the Year ($60,000): Gassan Sharbel, Editor-in-Chief Asharq Al Awsat newspaper
- Best Newspaper Column Award ($30,000): Prominent Emirati journalist and writer Nasser Al Taheri
- Smart Journalism Award ($50,000): Sabaq web portal
- Winners in other categories ($15,000) Humanitarian Journalism Award: Mohammad Al Rajee from Electronic Express newspaper (Morocco)
- Specialised Journalism Award: Azab Al Taib Taher – Al Ahram Newspaper (Egypt)
- Sports Journalism Award: Mahmoud Shawqi, Egyptian TV
- Cultural Journalism Award: Ahmad Farhad, Ittihad newspaper, and Mohammad Shaeer, Literature Newspaper, Egypt.
- Investigative Reporting Award: Imad Abdul Hamid, Al Bayan newspaper.
- Economic Journalism Award: Bassam Abdul Same’e, Ittihad newspaper
- Political Journalism Award: Mokhtar Shoaib, Al Ahram newspaper
- Photojournalism Award: Jaafar Sheteya, Agence France-Presse
- Press Interviews Journalism Award: Ahmad Hashem Ashour, Emarat Al Youm
- Outstanding Cartoonist Award: Amjad Rasmi, Asharq Al Awsat
- Young Journalist Award: Mohammad Abu Taif, Al Watan newspaper; Alaa Abu Aisha, Palestine newspaper; Mustafa Hosni, Al Masri Al Youm newspaper
