Sharjah Press Club Unveils New Sharjah Government Communication Award Category Celebrating Zayed’s Legacy

Sharjah Press Club (SPC) of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau has invited submissions for the 5^th edition of the Sharjah Government Communication Award (GCA) through the SGMB website (www.sgmb.ae) starting October 16, 2017. The last date for submissions is November 30, 2017, followed by the second phase, which will focus on uploading all the required documents until end of December.

A new award category has also been created this year to recognise the ‘Best Communication Plan for the Year of Zayed’ in support of the declaration of 2018 as the ‘Year of Zayed’ by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, according to Asma Al Juwaied, Manager of Sharjah Press Club.

The ‘Year of Zayed’ declaration turns the spotlight on the inspiring legacy instilled by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in every Emirati, particularly the upholding of charity and love for doing good work as one of the main values of the UAE. The Award also highlights his role in the founding and building of the UAE, as well as his humanitarian contributions locally and globally.

The coveted Sharjah award has expanded its base to include new categories. The number of categories has increased to 16, which opens wider horizons for competition and enriches the award to attract more entries to enhance the government communication system in the UAE, the Gulf and the Arab world.

The Sharjah Government Communication Award is the first of its kind in the UAE, the Gulf and the Arab World, attracting huge interest from government communications professionals as it underscores the achievements of individuals and institutions within the sector in Sharjah, UAE, Arab Gulf and the Middle East. The GCA also features best practices that enable professionals to improve public sector communication, as well as enhance efficiency and effectiveness of government communication channels and tools. It also aims to develop genuine partnership between government entities and decision makers, as well as with a diverse range of audiences.

Asma Al Juwaied, Manager of the Sharjah Press Club, said: “The Award has made huge strides since its launch in 2012 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, in recognition of the importance of government communications and the role of media.”

She added: “The Award has contributed to the creation of a distinct government communication system where the best practices and experiences of the UAE, Gulf and Arab world in government communications have been documented to enhance government communications in Sharjah and present a consistent image to the local and global media.”

Al Juwaied noted that Sharjah’s wise leadership is keen to maintain positive and effective communication between the government and the community using best practices in government communications. She added that the Award seeks to position Sharjah as a leader in government communication among the local, regional and global media landscape by consolidating the best works of institutions and individuals and contributing to further development of government communication.

Celebrating ‘Year of Zayed’

Al Juwaied explained that new categories have been added to attract more participants while further contributing to the improvement of government communication systems in the UAE, the Gulf and the Arab World. The fifth edition of the award will focus on excellence with a new award category for the ‘Best Communication Plan for the Year of Zayed’ in support of the declaration of 2018 as the ‘Year of Zayed’ by the UAE President.

Award Categories

The Sharjah Press Club has sought nominated entries to the Sharjah Government Communication Award (GCA) under a number of categories that allow government entities and their employees in Sharjah, UAE and GCC to participate and compete for the award, namely Best Government Application, Best Youth Initiative in Government Communication, Best Media Initiative in Government Communication, Best Government Intercommunication Practice, Best Government Communication Strategy, Best Government Communication Campaign and Best Government Social Media Engagement.

In addition to the above categories, the Award includes four categories in which both Sharjah and UAE government entities can participate. These are Best Practices in Social Responsibility, Best Official Spokesperson, Best Media Crisis Management and Best Government Communication Campaign outside UAE.

Two categories, namely Best Practices in Government Communication and Best Government Website, have been exclusively allocated for entities in Sharjah, in addition to all the mentioned categories.

Selected categories on the other hand include Media Personality and Leadership in Media covering the Arab region, besides the special award celebrating the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed, ie, the ‘Best Communication Plan for the Year of Zayed’, which is dedicated to the UAE.  

The SPC welcomes participants in various categories from government entities, institutions and individuals in the UAE, the Gulf and the Arab World, including opinion leaders, media and communications researchers, and communications students in various specialisations.

The terms and conditions of the Award, required documents and other details are available at www.sgmb.ae.