Ibda'a Awards 2004 winners to be announced tomorrow night

An eminent panel of judges are currently in the final stages of their deliberations for selecting the winners. The panel is evaluating the 44 entries shortlisted in the final round of a judging process coordinated by the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA).

One winner will be selected in each of the 10 categories of the Awards - Journalism, Radio, Digital Photography, Analogue Photography, Film, TV Documentary, Graphic Design, TV Advertising, Print Advertising and Animation. The winners will receive awards provided by CNN, Kodak, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, ARN, Canon, Motivate Publishing, Lowe, Team Young & Rubicam, and Showtime.

"This year's Awards have discovered an even more dazzling collection of talent than last year," said Abdulhamid Juma, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Media City and Coordinator General of the Ibda'a Media Student Awards 2004. "What also distinguishes this year's Awards from previous ones is the vast diversity of talent it has attracted. For the first time, contestants from Puerto Rico, Palestine, Italy and Canada took part in the Awards," said "We eagerly await the decision of the distinguished judging panel on the best and brightest of Ibda'a 2004," he added.

The judging panel had high words of praise for the quality of entries. According to the panel, the creativity, maturity and professionalism displayed by some of the entries in both design and content was exceptional.

The gala ceremony crowns eight months of work by the Ibda'a organising committee, which ran a global campaign for the Awards since its launch in April 2004. This year, Dubai Media City announced the first international edition of the Awards as part of its effort to reach out to young talent from around the world. A massive series of roadshows were conducted in media schools and universities in several countries including Iran, India, Egypt, Lebanon, UK, USA, Australia and Canada. The Awards received 2013 entries from over 20 countries, compared to 1819 last year.

The judging panel shortlisted 44 entries from eight countries for the final round. India topped the list with 13 finalists, followed by eight from the UAE, six from Iran and South Africa, three from Egypt, three from the UK and the USA, and one from Canada.

The number of participating students from the UAE recorded a considerable increase. Eight students from the UAE made it to the shortlist compared to four last year.

Ibda'a 2004 attracted the sponsorship of leading global and regional media companies including ARN, BBC, Dubai Press Club, FedEx, Khaleej Times, Motivate Publishing, Network Productions, Seven Stars, Showtime and Virgin. The event is also supported by the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA).

The Ibda'a gala awards ceremony will take place at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on November 30, from 7.00 pm.