Sharjah Police, TBHF among winners of Govt Communication Awards

Sharjah - Winners in 16 categories honoured at a special ceremony held on the concluding day of the International Government Communication Forum

Sharjah Police’s Remote e-Visit Service was chosen as the Best Public Communication Initiative at the 8th edition of the Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA) on Monday.

The award was in recognition of its role in enhancing family cohesion between prison inmates and their families and thus contributing to their emotional stability.

The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) was honoured as the winner in the Best Crisis Response category for their ‘Salam Beirut’ initiative, an emergency aid and relief campaign that was announced shortly after the tragic explosion that shook the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Working with a network of regional and international partners, TBHF demonstrated its capability to identify the challenges and lifesaving needs in a crisis and deploy effective emergency relief measures to offer support for those impacted by the tragedy.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC), honoured winners of the SGCA during a special ceremony held on the concluding day of the 10th International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The jury of the award, organised by the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), a subsidiary of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), previously shortlisted 46 finalists to be recognised across SGCA’s 16 categories.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director-General of SGMB, said: "Over the course of the two-day forum, whenever we took note of a unique idea, we asked ourselves how this would impact the performance of institutions and government bodies in their discourse with the public. Through this, we can see the complementary relationship between IGCF and SGCA."

He stressed that the award is much more than a celebration of winners and is "a celebration of Sharjah's unique and comprehensive journey built on a distinguished relationship between the government and the community, and between institutions and the public”.

"The award is also a celebration of partnerships between government communication departments and concerned entities, which help foster effective and successful communication,” he added.

Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director-General of Emirates News Agency (WAM) and Head of the SGCA jury committee, thanked His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for his continued support and vision to expand the knowledge and talents of individuals.

He said: "The Award received 403 submissions for the eighth edition. The jurors shortlisted 212 nominees, including 183 from the UAE and 29 from various countries. A total of 46 finalists eventually competed in the award’s 16 categories, 12 of which are nominated, three selected by SGCA jurors, and one through online public voting."

At the awards ceremony, the jury committee honoured the UAE Government media briefing team and Dr Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson of the UAE health sector, for their tremendous efforts in responding to public needs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other winners are: The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship for its Population Register and Identity Card programme (Best Practices in Government Communication).

The Human Resources Department of Ras Al Khaimah Government for its role in developing an inclusive government communication ecosystem based upon human resources and modern technology (Best System Supporting Government Communication – UAE).

Lieutenant-Colonel Rashid Al Jabri, Director of Government Communications Department at Dubai Police (Ideal Employee for Government Communication)

UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention for its agility and ability to communicate with the public through a range of communication channels and platforms (Best Government Communication through New Media – Arab World)

Emirati influencer Mohammed Al Kaabi (Best Social Media Influencer – Arab World). Raghda Al Saeed from Egypt and Bader Al Issa from Kuwait won the second and third places respectively.

The Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination for its campaign themed, ‘Be the Change’ (Best Idea for Engaging Future Generations in the Arab World)

‘Khair Jalees’ book initiative, developed by four Emirati young men (Best Youth Initiative in Government Communication)

Mohammed Ali Al Mannai for his photograph titled, ‘The Lost Girl’, which portrays a young Emirati girl who was reported missing in Maastricht, the Netherlands (Best Photo/Video in Government Communication – Global)

The Dubai Police, Sharjah Police, Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention for their vital role in handling the Covid-19 pandemic (Best Practices for Dealing with the Coronavirus Crisis)

The Abu Dhabi Police (Best Practices for Dealing with Fake News)

This year’s committee decided to honour winners in three special categories, locally and regionally – Best Media Briefing Team, Best Official Spokesperson in the UAE and Best Media Programme in the Arab region.

Best Media Briefing Team award was shared by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), Abu Dhabi Media, and the UAE Government Media Office.

Dr Farida Al Hosani was named the Best Official Spokesperson – UAE award while The ‘Ma’kom Mona El Shazly’ programme, presented by Egyptian talk show host Mona El Shazly won in the Best Media Programme – Arab region category.

The ’Don't Worry’ campaign launched by UAE’s National Programme for Happiness and Wellbeing (NPHW) was named the winner in the Best Community Impact Initiative – UAE category.

The jury committee recommended that the scope of participation in the Fake News category be broadened to include the private sector and has called for the introduction of a new category named ‘Best Technology Utilisation to Combat Fake News’ to target media entities that play a key role in training and fact-checking.

The jury also recommended honouring entities that develop academic programmes, and organisations that keep pace with digital transformation, as well as new categories for media briefing teams and official spokespersons.

As the first-of-its-kind award in the Arab region, the SGCA sheds light on the achievements of individuals and entities in the government communication sector. It fosters best professional government communication practices in the UAE, the region and around the world.

• Sharjah