Dubai Shopping Festival 2003 Journalism Awards doubles prize money to US$ 80,000

Dubai Shopping Festival has announced the DSF Journalism Awards 2003 with seven new categories, increasing the total prize money to US$ 80,000.

Recognising excellence in the coverage of Dubai Shopping Festival in print media, the Journalism Awards for DSF 2003 will ensure that individual journalists as well as media organisations are rewarded for their hard work and professionalism. 

Mr. Saeed Mohammed Al Nabouda, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Shopping Festival said, "Ever since its inception, Dubai Shopping Festival has received tremendous support from the members of the media. Over the years, this partnership has led to several meritorious journalistic endeavours in tourism and business reportage. Firmly established as premier competition, the Journalism Awards recognize and honour the best amongst the international and local print media."

Elaborating on the extent of participation from international and local media for the Awards, Mr. Al Nabouda said, "Local newspapers and magazines that had covered DSF 2002 in an extensive manner had submitted over 300 entries for the coveted awards. We also got a huge response from the GCC and international media, with over 100 submissions, an indication of the prestige Dubai Shopping Festival enjoys among the media."

The Awards, launched in 1997, were the first of its kind to be instituted by a tourism and retail development event.

Ms. Elham Abbas, Corporate Communications Director, Dubai Shopping Festival, said that the distinction in the formats was necessary to create a balanced judging criterion.

"We have made several changes to the Award categories this year, based on the recommendations from the distinguished panel of judges that evaluated the entries last year. The changes are in line with the kind of coverage that Dubai Shopping Festival receives each year.

"Dubai Shopping Festival is constituted by over 300 individual events. Adding new categories has meant that we have enlarged the scope of the Awards, by including not only features about the Festival in its entirety, but reports about individual events as well. This distinction means that even junior reporters who cover a DSF event can participate in this healthy competition. Moreover, these events are best represented through their visual imagery, and therefore, we have incorporated two awards in the Best Photography category."

Speaking about the guidelines, Ms. Abbas said journalists writing about the Festival in the local, regional and international media could vie for the DSF 2003 Journalism Awards. The entries are judged on the quality of research, writing style, quality of content and overall presentation. 

The Awards presentation will be held during the closing ceremony of Dubai Shopping Festival on February 15, 2003.

The ten award categories for the English and Arabic language media are as follows: 

1. Article in the report format in newspapers/magazines published in the UAE in both English and Arabic languages

2. Article in the feature format in newspapers/magazines published in the UAE in both English and Arabic languages

3. Article in the report format in newspapers/magazines published from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain or Qatar in both English and Arabic languages

4. Article in the feature format in newspapers/magazines published from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain or Qatar in both English and Arabic languages

5. Article in the report and feature format in Arabic from Pan Arab region excluding GCC countries. 

6. Article in the report format in newspapers/magazines published from Non-Arab countries in English language only 

7. Article in the feature format in newspapers/magazines published from Non-Arab countries in English language only

8. Best Layout - Entries will be judged on the visual appeal /design of a story or a page in a UAE publication 

9. Best Overall coverage - Newspaper organisation/magazine publishers from the UAE will be recognised for overall coverage of DSF 2003 

10. Best Photograph - There will be two awards in the category. Any picture of DSF 2003 activities taken by a UAE based photographer can be submitted as an entry

To be eligible for the award, all entries must have been published between September 1, 2002 and February 6th, 2003. Entries can be submitted by individual journalists or organisations, along with the original story and the entry form. A journalist/organisation may send up to seven entries, each with a separate entry form, attaching an original clipping of the story. Entries must reach DSF by February 6th, 2003. 

Journalists from the UAE as well as outside countries have so far won the coveted DSF Journalism Awards. 

The Journalism Awards for DSF 2002 were won by Ms. Farha Sait of Khaleej Times, Najwa Daher of Al Khaleej, Mr. Nasser Al Sarami from Al Riyadh, Mohammed Khair Mahmoud Al Farah from Al Sharq, Mr. Maan Al Bayari of Al Quds Al Arabi and Sankha Kar of Gulf News. Al Bayan won the Best Layout Award, Gulf News won the Best Overall Coverage Award in the English Category and Al Khaleej won it in the Arabic Category.

Among the foreign recipients of the awards in the past were Ms. Anubha Charan of India Today Plus, Delhi; Mr. Michael Frenchman of The Middle East, London; Mr. Gurbir Singh of The Times of India, Bombay; Mr. Khalid Salama of Al Watan, Qatar, and Mr. Mohammed Al Sheety of Al Qabas, Kuwait.