Arab Journalism Award presented in Dubai

Dubai, UAE - The Arab world's most prestigious media honours - the Arab Journalism Awards - were presented in Dubai on Monday 25th April under the patronage and in the presence of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister and in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Information and Culture.

In his speech at the opening of the ceremony Ibrahim Nafee, President of Arab Journalists Union said that the commitment of the judging committee to the objectivity criteria in the evaluation and choosing of the winners has catalyzed the position of the Award regionally and internationally. He said, 'The commitment to this criterion irrespective of names and organizations of the participants and countries they come from is still the main pillar of the Award. This reaffirms the faith of the participants in the Award and at the same time encourages others who have not participated before to enter the awards in the future.'

He added, 'In the current regional and international climate journalism and media organisations play a leading role which reflects more than ever before the importance of the media in today's world.

The gala awards ceremony was held at the Madinat Arena. A host of senior media representatives, diplomats, academics and government representatives attended the ceremony.

Arab Journalism Award is presented by the Dubai Press Club, under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Mona Al Marri, Secretary General of the Arab Journalism Award and Executive Manager, Dubai Press Club said 'Transparency, objectivity and credibility are the key factors behind the eminence that the awards have gained in a very short period of time.' Al Marri pointed out the three factors that the judging committee ensures are equal opportunity for all journalists, confidential evaluation and objectivity of the evaluation criterion.

This year for the first time the Award had 10 leading regional and international organizations as partners. These being Nakheel, Dubai International Financial Centre, Shell, Samsung, Emirates Airline, Emirates Telecommunication Corporation - Etisalat, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai Cultural Council, Al Arabiya News Channel and Dubai Media City. Representatives from these organizations were also invited to present the Award to the winners.

Sahar Mohammed Musbah from Al Riyadh Newspaper, KSA won the Award for the Best Business article for 2004. Charles Waltson, GPM Director Middle East, South Asia & Africa, Shell presented the Award to the winner.

Azzam Al Dakheel, Deputy Chief Executive of Saudi Research and Marketing Group presented the Award for Best Children's article to Ahmed Umar from Majid Magazine, UAE. This Award is presented to best article for children less than 12 years of age published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

Mohammed Al Murr, Chairman of Dubai Cultural Council presented the Best Cultural article award to Mohammed Mahmood Ali Shuair, Akhbar Al Adab, Egypt. This Award is presented to the best cultural article published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

Abdul Hamid Juma, CEO of Dubai Media City presented the Award for Best Investigative article to Dr. Jamal Hussain Ali, Al Qabas, Kuwait. This Award presented to best investigative article dealing with social, educational and behavioral issues, published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

Ibrahim Nafee, President, Arab Journalists Union presented the Award for Best Interview to Mohammed Munir Yousuf from the publication Nusf Al Duniya, Egypt. This Award is presented to the best interview between a journalist and public personality published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

Faris Qurah Bait from Al Raya, Qatar won the award for Best Caricature category. J.M Park, President of Samsung Gulf Electronics presented the award to the winner. This award is presented to the best caricature published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

Jihad Al Khazen, Columnist, Al Hayat Newspaper presented the Best Columnist award to Khairy Mansour from Al Khaleej Newspaper, UAE. This Award is presented to the best column published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

The Award for Best IT article went to Abu Al Hajaj Mohammed Bashir Othman from Lugat Alaser Magazine, Egypt. Nasser Ahmed bin Obood Al Falasi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat presented the award for the category.

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines and Director of Civil Aviation Authority presented the Award for Best Sports article to Usama Al Sheikh from Super Magazine, UAE. This Award is presented to the best sports article published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

The Award for Best Political article went to Salah Salem from Al Ahram, Egypt. The Award is presented to the best political article or analysis published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication. This award was presented by Al Arabiya News Channel representative Muntaha Al Ramahi.

Serege Zaalof, General Manager of Madinat Jumeirah Resort presented the Best Photo-Journalism Award to Mohammed Jadallah from Al Mustaqbal, Lebanon.

The Award for Best Environmental article was presented to Mohammed Abdul Latif Mohammed Abdul Rahman from Swat Al Umma Newspaper, Egypt by Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel. This Award is presented to best article, report or analysis that deals with environmental issues in the Arab world published in any daily or weekly Arabic publication.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Information and Culture concluded the awards ceremony by presenting the Media Personality of the Year Award along with Dr. Omar bin Sulaiman, General Manager of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The Media Personalities of the Year was awarded to Raja'a Naqash from Egypt for his valuable contribution to Arabic media.

For further information contact :

Dubai Press Club
Ph: +9714-2226222
Fax: +9714-2226888
www.dpc.org.ae