His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Honours Winners of 11th Arab Journalism Awards
Wednesday, 09 May 2012
Special Recognition for Laila Rustom and Rafiq Khoury for Achievements and Impact on Arab Media
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today announced the winners of the 11th Arab Journalism Awards (AJA), a key platform that celebrates journalistic excellence in the Arab world.
The Arab Journalism Awards was hosted on the sidelines of the Arab Media Forum (AMF) at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. Themed ‘Arab Media: Exposure and Transition’, AMF 2012 drew the participation of over 3,000 media professionals and opinion leaders from around the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum recognised the following media persons:
Special Award:
Laila Rustom, a thought leader in culture and media with several incisive interviews to her credit.
Rafiq Khoury, a guardian of freedom of opinion and expression and one of the most prominent journalists in the Arab world. He is also the author of two anthologies of poems and a body of literary works.
Media Personality of the Year 2012: (We can say Media Personality of 11th Round or of the year)
Nasser Mohammed Al Sanousi, Kuwaiti Media Expert. He was recognised for his contribution to the growth of the Arab media and Kuwaiti media in particular. A key contributor to the formation of Kuwaiti television, he is also the former General Manager of Kuwait TV. In addition, he has served as Kuwaiti Information minister and chairman of the Board of Directors of the GCC Joint Program Production Institution.
Newspaper Column:
Dr. Badriah Al Beshr, Assistant Professor at Al Jazeera University in the UAE.A Saudi writer, she is the first woman to win the prestigious award.
In addition to these distinctions, the Arab Journalism Awards recognised outstanding mediapersons in 10 categories. This year, the awards received over 4,000 entries from across the Arab region. Three journalists were shortlisted in each category, while the Young Journalist segment featured six nominees. The following were named the winners at the gala AJA awards ceremony:
Investigative Reporting:
- Ali Zalat and Mohammed Al Kholy from the Masry Al Youm newspaper for their report titled ‘Carcinogenic clothes fill Egyptian markets’. The award was presented by Dhaen Shaheen, Member of the Board of Directors for the Arab Journalism Awards.
Economic Journalism:
- Omar Khalil Azabi from Emarat Al Youm newspaper for his work ‘The UAE is investing in the sun as a substitute for the power of oil’. Writer Sekina Fouad, AJA Board Member, presented the award.
Political Journalism:
- Salah Salem for his work titled ‘Arab spring and forms of relationship between religion and the state’, published in the Al Ahram newspaper. Dr. Mohieddine Amimour, AJA Board Member, presented the award.
Cultural Criticism:
- Ahmed Nagy Ahmed from the Egyptian newspaper Akhbar Al Adab, for his article ‘Graphite – long live the obsolescent art’.Ahmed Behbehani. AJA Board Member, presented the award.
Specialized Journalism:
- Abdulla Abdul-Rahman from the UAE-based Magazine Al Dhafra, received the award from Mohamed Barakat, Vice-Chairman of AJA, for a series of editorials and documentaries on the history of pearl diving.
Press Interviews Journalism:
- Walid Al Tayeb from the Islam Online Community received the award for his analytical vision on the relationship of the Sharia with separation. Mohammad Yousuf, AJA Board member, presented the award.
Sports Journalism:
- Ali Shadhan from the UAE newspaper Al Bayan received the award from Dr. Ali Al Karni, AJA Board Member, for his work ‘File of the game of millions’.
Photo Journalism:
- Ahmed El Masry from the Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm received the award from Raed Barqawi, AJA Board Member.
Outstanding Cartoon Works:
- Maher Rashwan from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jareedah received the award from Ramadan Rawashdeh, AJA Board Member.
Young Talent Journalism:
Khalfan Al Roumi, Chairman of the AJA Board of Directors, presented the award to
- Saeed Khatibi from the Qatar magazine Al Doha
- Mohammed Mahala from the Moroccan magazine Awal
- Sayed Ismail from the Palestine newspaper
Established in 1999 with the objective of encouraging creativity and journalistic excellence in the Arab world, the Arab Journalism Awards have grown over the years to become the most coveted distinction in journalism in the Arab world. The awards are known for their transparent and unbiased judging process that is supervised by a board of directors, comprising senior journalists from the Arab world.
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