IGCF: UAE astronaut Al Neyadi and the ‘nicest’ judge Caprio honoured in Sharjah

Sharjah: Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC) honoured the winners of the 10th Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA), organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB).

A special awarding ceremony was held on Thursday on the sidelines of the closing of the two-day International Government Communication Forum (IGCF), whose 12th iteration took place in Expo Centre Sharjah and carried the theme ‘Today’s Resources … Tomorrow’s Wealth’.

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, holder of the longest space mission in Arab history, spanning six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) was awarded the newly established ‘Personality of the Year’ award.

A the ceremony, the ‘Best Positive Social Impact Driver’ award was given to American Judge Frank Caprio, former Chief Judge of the Municipal Court of Providence in the USA, whose compassionate rulings made him a global viral sensation on social media, earning him the reputation as “The Nicest Judge in the World.

A film presentation at the event spotlighted the paramount importance of acknowledging and revering the efforts dedicated to the preservation of current resources, echoing the Sharjah Government Communication Award’s mission.

Improving communication standards

Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, said: “Those familiar with Sharjah’s efforts to promote government communication to play a more important role in facilitating comprehensive and sustainable development, understand that this award embodies the emirate’s intentions to improve the standards first within the UAE, and then across the Arab region and the rest of the world”.

Allay noted that over the past 10 years, SGCA has worked diligently to establish higher standards in government communication practices while continuously striving to provide models that contribute to overcoming challenges in various fields, including economics, the environment, society, health, and others.

“It is our collective duty to formulate communication strategies that are at pace with changing information trends, technologies, public perceptions and aspirations, and global events”, the Director General added.

Future transformations

Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Director General of the Emirates News Agency (WAM) and Chairperson of the SGCA jurors committee, thanked His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for being the foremost supporter of initiatives like SGCA, which serve the community and advance institutions.

Al Raisi said: “This edition of SGCA has successfully anticipated future transformations in government communication strategies and practices. It has also broadened its local and global outreach. The award combines inclusivity and specialisation, in addition to diversity in communication practices, making SGCA a leading international platform for identifying the responsibility and power of communication in overcoming global development challenges”.

Winners of SGCA Arab award categories

Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council won the ‘Best Spokesperson’ category, while Dubai Customs won the ‘Best Government Communication Team’ category.

In the ‘Best Integrated Communication Campaign’ category, Abu Dhabi City Municipality was announced as the winner. Turning to the ‘Best Communication for Reputation Building and Management’ category, Dubai Police Force was announced the winner.

The ‘Best Campaign Celebrating Arab Culture’ includes two sub-categories, the winner of the category ‘Best Campaign Supporting the Arabic Language’ is the Sharjah Private Education Authority and the winner of the second category, ‘Best Campaign to Reinforce Arab Values and Identity’ is the Holy Quran Academy in Sharjah. In the ‘Best Social Responsibility Campaign’ category, the winner is the National Housing Company (NHC) in Saudi Arabia.

The ‘Best Communication Targeting Youth’ category includes three sub-categories. The winner for the first sub-category ‘Best Communication Programme to Support Youth Entrepreneurship and Projects’ is the Federal Youth Authority (FYA) under the Ministry of Culture and Youth. In the ‘Best Campaign for Positive Impact on Youth Awareness and Practice’sub-category, the winner is the National Center for Non-Profit Sector in Saudi Arabia. Lastly, in the “Best Youth Initiative in Government Communication” sub-category, the winner is the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention Youth Council.

Global award categories — Winners

The global award categories have witnessed outstanding competition and have attracted exceptional entries from the region. In the “Best Communication Strategy for Crisis Management” category, the winner is the General Administration of Strategic Communication at the Saudi Ministry of Defence.

For the “Best Innovation in Government Communication’’ category, which comprises two sub-categories, the UAE’s National Library and Archives (NLA), was announced as the winner the first sub-category “Best Innovation in Government Communication”. Meanwhile, the winner for the second sub-category “Best Initiative within the Annual Youth Challenge” was “Team B” of the AI Skills Camp.

In the “Best Food Security Programme Communication Plan” category, the winner was the Department of Agriculture and Livestock in Sharjah. For the “Best Communication Initiative or Media Content to Promote Environmental Awareness” category, the winner was Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA).

In the “Best Communication Practices or Campaigns Addressing Developmental Challenges” category, the winner was Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi Charitable Foundation in Saudi Arabia.

The winner for the “Best Communication Practice in Volunteer Campaign’’ category award is the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. As for the “Best Communication through Media Content’’ category, the winner is Bahrain’s Atnafas Creative Production.

Meanwhile, the winner for the “Best Applied Scientific Research in Government Communication” is Ghada Saif Thabet.

Jury Award Categories

The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), Qatar, won the “Best Communication Strategy Utilising Sports” category, while the “Best Positive Social Impact Driver” was awarded to American Judge Frank Caprio, former Chief Judge of the Municipal Court of Providence in the USA, whose compassionate rulings made him a global viral sensation on social media, earning him the reputation as “The Nicest Judge in the World”.

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, holder of the longest space mission in Arab history, spanning six months aboard the International Space Station as part of Mission 69, was awarded the newly established “Personality of the Year” award.

During the ceremony, the winner of the “Universities Challenge,” organised in cooperation with United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), was also announced. The winning team was “Sawab” Team, from the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

The SGCA Jury committee were also honoured during the ceremony for their efforts in assessing the nominated works for the award, followed by speeches by a selection of award winners.