Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed honours the winners of the Arab Media Award.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Arab Media Forum (AMF) kicked off on Tuesday with the participation of more than 3,000 government officials, leaders of Emirati, Arab and international media institutions, influential decision makers, opinion leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators, and those concerned with the media sector, within the most prominent media event of its kind in the region.

The two-day forum is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at Madinat Jumeirah.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, attended the activities of the Arab Media Forum.

Sheikh Ahmed also 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 presented the awards for the Media Personality of the Year and the Best Column.

Sheikh Ahmed honours Khalid Bin Hamad Al Malik with the Media Personality of the Year award.

Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), and 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.

Sheikh Ahmed 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 bin Mohammed 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,” Sheikh Ahmed noted.

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.

The Best Column Award was given to Dr  Rasheed Al Khayoun.

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

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.”

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 HH 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.