Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, honoured the winners of the Arab Media Award in its various categories at a ceremony organised by the Dubai Press Club on the first day of Arab Media Summit 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the award’s establishment.
Official patronage and broad attendance at Arab Media Summit
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed congratulated the winners, saying their achievements placed a greater responsibility on them to help shape the future of Arab media. He said maintaining leadership amid rapid change required investment in knowledge and skills and the use of modern technologies, foremost among them artificial intelligence, while upholding the values and responsibilities of the profession.
Al-Nisf and Kachachi lead individual awards
Waleed Abdul Latif Al-Nisf, editor-in-chief of Kuwait’s Al Qabas newspaper, received the Media Personality of the Year award in recognition of his journalistic career and leadership of the newspaper’s transition to a digital environment. Iraqi journalist and novelist Inam Kachachi won the Best Columnist award in recognition of her career in journalism and her combination of professionalism, human-centred content and literary style.
In the visual media categories, CNBC Arabia’s Under the Spotlight won Best Economic Programme, Egypt’s Al Nahar channel’s The Image won Best Social Programme, and Arab Talk on Sky News Arabia won Best Cultural Programme. Our Stadium on Al Mashhad won Best Sports Programme, while the Best Documentary award went to Thirst Maps from Sky News Arabia.
The Arab Journalism Awards included Ayman Samir of the UAE’s Al Khaleej newspaper, who won in the political journalism category for his article “Will the Third World War Break Out?”, and Malek Al-Qaqqour of Asharq Al-Awsat, who won in the economic journalism category for his article “The Artificial Intelligence Tsunami Sweeps Millions into Unemployment”.
Adnan Al-Gharbi of the UAE’s Al Bayan newspaper won in the investigative journalism category for an investigation into the risks of stimulants and hormones presented as sports supplements.
Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice Chair and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council, President of the Dubai Press Club and Chair of the award’s board, said the award had maintained its standing over 25 years on the basis of professional standards, helping to drive media creativity and strengthen Dubai and the UAE’s position as a centre for Arab media work. She also thanked the award’s successive boards and judging panels.
