Khaleej Ibdaa Awards

DUBAI — Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Technology and Media Zone Authority, presented the Ibda'a Awards at the fifth Ibda'a Media Student Awards.

Ahmad bin Byat, Director General of Dubai Technology and Media Zone Authority, and Dr Omar bin Sulaiman, Director General of Dubai International Financial Centre, and other government dignitaries attended the event.

The event was held at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre and provided young aspiring talent the opportunity to rub shoulders with eminent media personalities. Top ten student entries were awarded prizes sponsored by leading global and regional media giants that could jump-start their careers.

"This year Ibda'a reached out to media students all over the world and the huge response we received shows that talent, creativity and excellence have no borders," said Mohammad Al Mulla, Director of Dubai Media City and Coordinator General of the Ibda'a Awards. "The greater diversity of talent that the Awards attracted this year also encourages us to further strengthen our Ibda'a campaign next year," he added.

Sponsors of the fifth Ibda'a Awards and award providers were felicitated at the ceremony for their support. The sponsors included ARN, BBC, Dubai Press Club, FedEx, Khaleej Times, Motivate Publishing, Network Production, Seven Stars, Showtime and Virgin.

A representative of the UAE chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), which assisted Dubai Media City in managing the judging process of the Awards, was also felicitated.

The Ibda'a Awards this year evoked tremendous response, attracting 2,217 entries from more than 20 countries.

THE AWARD WINNERS

Digital Photography: Lateefa bint Maktoum from Zayed University, UAE. The prize is photography equipment from Canon.

Print Advertising: Anuja Rane from Sophia Polytechnic, India. The prize is a one-month internship with Saatchi & Saatchi.

Graphic Design: Shaikha bin Daher from American University of Sharjah, UAE. The prize is a one-month internship with Team Young & Rubicam. She also won a Special Recognition Award for the Best UAE Project.

Radio: Swagata Majumdar from Convergence Institute of Media Management, India, and the prize is a one-month internship with Arabian Radio Network.

Journalism: Sarah Saleh from University of Sydney, Australia. The prize is an internship with CNN.

TV Advertising: Maha Khawaja, Preston University Ajman, UAE. The prize is a two-week internship with Leo Burnett.

Analogue Photography: Asma Faisal Murad, from Dubai Women's College, UAE. The prize is a one-month internship with Motivate Publishing.

TV Documentary: Rrivu Laha from Film & TV Institute of India. The prize is an internship at Al Aqariya TV.

Animation: Omid Khoshenazar from IRIB, Iran. The prize is a one-month internship with Lam Tarai.

Film: Vibhu Puri from Film & TV Institute of India. The prize is a one-month internship with Showtime.