Sheikh Mohammed honors Arab Journalism Award winners

Sheikh Mohammed also honoured Talal Salman, Editor in Chief of A'Safir newspaper, who was selected the Media Personality of the Year.

His selection was in recognition of his life-long contributions to journalism during a long career that dates back to the late 1950s, when he joined the Lebanese magazine Al Hawadeth in 1959.

He later shifted to Al Ahad, another Lebanese magazine and subsequently moved to Kuwait, where he founded Dunya Al Uruba magazine. He left Kuwait and returned to Lebanon in 1965 to work with A'Sayyad magazine, a responsibility he held until 1974. Afterwards, he founded A'Safir newspaper and continues to be its editor in chief to this day.

The winners of the Arab Journalism Award were announced at the close of the 8th Arab Media Forum today, which was being held in Dubai on the past two days, May 11-12. The Forum saw this year the participation of well over 2000 Arab and international journalists, including speakers and attendees.

The Forum was held under the slogan "Arab Media: Weathering a Period of Change and Crisis" and saw a vibrant discussions on a range of issues pertinent to the Arab media against the backdrop of the current challenges, especially the global financial crisis.

Lebanese writer Samir Attallah won the prize of the Best Columnist. Mai Zakarya Al Attal of the UAE magazine Kul al Usra won the prize in Investigative Journalism for his story titled "Campaign...Together for the Protection of the Young from Drugs...A Life Free from Addiction and Imprisonment."

The prize in the Best Press Interview category went to Ahmed Ali of Al Watan newspaper from Qatar for his interview with Bashar Al Assad, President of Syria, while Saeed Mohammed of the Bahraini daily Al Wasat made it to the top in Health Journalism for his story "Aids Threatens the Youth in the Arab World.

The award in Cultural Journalism was won by Mohammed Shair of Akhbar al Yaum - Akhbar al Adab for his profile on Mohammed Dervish titled "Dervish..the Impact of the Poet.

"Dr. Mohammed Abdul Shafi' Eissa of the Saudi magazine Al Majalla bagged the prize in Business Journalism for his article "The Global Financial Crisis 2008."

The honor for Political Journalism went to Muin Al Biyari of the UAE daily Al Khaleej in recognition for his story "A Visit to the Darfour Refugees Puts the Spotlight on their Lives."

The prize in Environmental Journalism was bagged by both Hiba Abdul Hamid and Walaa Nabil of Al Misri al Yaum daily from Egypt for their story titled "Health Sector Employees Smuggle Dangerous Medical Wastes to Factories Manufacturing Dishes and Yogurt Packs."

The award for IT Journalism was conferred on Abu al Hajjaj Mohammed Bashir of the Egyptian magazine Lughat al Asr for his story "Mechanical Treatment of Arabic: Present Efforts and the Challenges of Future.

"Marzouq Al Ajami of the Kuwaiti newspaper A'Nahar won the prize in Sports Journalism for his story "A Crisis that Gripped Kuwait for Nearly Two Years."

The award for cartoons went to Abdul Naser Al Ja'fari of the Jordanian daily Al Arab Al Yaum, while the prize for Press Photography was bagged by Ala Al Deen Taufiq Badrana of the European Photo Agency for a picture that appeared in the Palestinian paper Al Hayat Al Jadida.

Lina Kilani of the Saudi magazine Basim won the prize for Journalism for Children for her story "Fauz the Giraffe."

The General Secretariat of the Arab Journalism Award had expanded the judging committee for the Award to include 60 experts from various Arab countries, with five or six of them adjudicating in each of the 12 categories. The expansion of the judging committee and its multinational composition were meant to ensure the highest standards of objectivity and transparency in the selection process.

Arab Journalism Award was launched in 1999 as per the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum with a view to create an atmosphere of healthy professional competition and resultant quality enhancement in the field of journalism. The entire selection process is overseen by the governing board, which comprises eminent media experts from around the Arab world.