Business & Money | Thursday 1 January, 2015 11:10 am |

The organizing committee of the Arab Social Media Award, an initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the Arab Social Media Award ceremony will take place February 23, 2015 to honour companies and individuals who use social media to advance their societies and the communities.

The Arab Social Media Award opened applications across twenty categories and will also crown the social media personality of the year from the Arab world.
The Award, which is the first of its kind in the region, recognizes the most important social media initiatives in the Arab world. It honours individuals and companies in various sectors who have used different channels of social media to help establish a positive interactive environment for innovation and creativity.
The award has gained significant response from several Arab countries, particularly from the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In all, entries came from 22 countries around the world, including Germany, Canada, Britain, India and Italy.

His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Arab Social Media Award, said the overwhelming response to the award, since its inception in June, underline the need for innovative initiatives that stimulate and encourage positive thinking and change. His Excellency added: "The strong interest and appreciation gained by the Award emphasizes the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum about the future and his appreciation of the influential role that social media plays in our region and the world in guiding, shaping and accomplishing events. It has helped further in strengthening Dubai’s position and consolidating its leading role under a wise leadership”.

The award includes 20 categories: Government Sector, Private Sector, Blogs, Media, Sport, Tolerance, CSR, Education, Youth, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Economy, Politics, Health, Arts, Safety, Security, Shopping, Environment, Tourism and Entertainment, in addition to the Personality of the Year Award.