Dubai: Gulf News was honoured in a glittering ceremony on Sunday after winning a record seven awards for its coverage of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).
Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presented the DSF 2013 Journalism and Photography Awards during the closing ceremony of DSF, held at the Madinat Jumeriah resort in Dubai.
It was a clean sweep for Gulf News as the UAE’s leading English daily bagged first prize in all five English categories it entered: Best Editorial Team Coverage, Best Feature – Local Newspapers, Best Feature – Online Portals, Best Feature by a Promising Journalist, Best Photo – DSF Celebrations. The paper also scooped up second prize in the Best Feature – Online Portals and Best Photo – DSF Shopping categories.
Gulf News had won six awards for its DSF coverage in 2012. The annual 32-day-long festival featuring sales, shows, and prizes started on January 3 this year and concluded on Sunday. Gulf News photographer Arshad Ali made the record all the more memorable by winning the best photo award for the fourth consecutive year.
Web News Editor Florence Pia G. Yu's online feature Go with the Flo also won the top prize in the Best Feature - Online Portals category for the second consecutive year.
Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director Publications, Gulf News, said: “We would like to thank the DSF organisers and awards judging committee for their appreciation and recognition of Gulf News’ coverage of DSF. The awards were a result of teamwork, good planning, focus and commitment to deliver the best coverage to our readers, as we always strive to do.
“On the occasion, the awards make us happy and proud of this new achievement, which is added to the previous one [DSF Journalism Awards 2012]. The awards remind us of our responsibility towards our readers, to always bring them the best standards of journalism.”
Gulf News brought readers daily DSF coverage, highlighting life-changing moments of raffle prize winners, besides the bargains, the shows, the culture, the history, and other attractions.
The accolades were selected by a DSF awards judging committee, with DSF organisers Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency of the Department of Economic Development, honouring the winners.
