Hada News
Arab Media Award opens its 26th cycle; entries close on Monday 1 March 2027
Dubai Press Club is taking journalism and television entries published between 11 January 2026 and 10 January 2027, across nine competitive categories.
Reporters, columnists and broadcasters across the Arab world can now submit work for the 26th Arab Media Award. Its secretariat, run by Dubai Press Club, said on Monday 19 October 2026, as carried by Petra, that entries would be accepted from Tuesday 20 October; the award's own entry page sets 1 March 2027 as the last day to submit or amend an entry.
**What counts.** Work must have appeared in print, on screen or online between 11 January 2026 and 10 January 2027. Series are allowed, capped at five episodes per entry.
**Two strands, nine categories.** - *Arab Journalism Award:* investigative reporting, political journalism, economic journalism and best columnist. Individuals or teams may enter. - *Visual Media Award:* best economic, cultural, sports and social programme, plus best documentary. Only media organisations may enter these.
A further honour, Media Personality of the Year, is not open to entries; the award's board grants it by its own decision.
The entry page lists judging criteria for each category. For investigations these include the relevance of the subject to the public, documentation from original sources, and balance in presenting viewpoints. The terms also state that Dubai Press Club may use submitted works for education, publication and promotion of the award on a non-profit basis.
According to Hespress, the award started in 1999 under the name Arab Journalism Award. In the organisers' release, as carried by Hespress, award director Jasim Al Shamsi stressed meeting the requirements set for each category.
**Why it matters:** The window is long, but the eligibility period is fixed, so pieces published in early January 2027 still qualify, while anything from before 11 January 2026 does not.