The Ibda’a Media Student Awards were launched in 2001 under the patronage of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Run by Dubai Media City, in association with the IAA, the event aims to showcase talent and fuel the growth of media. The Awards attracted more than 2,200 entries last year from around 20 countries, and the prize giving and gala dinner will be held on November 27 this year.
Mohamed Al Mulla, the executive director of Dubai Media City, has been the coordinator-general of the Awards since their inception, and says he is looking forward to this year’s event.
How popular are the Ibda’a Awards?
We distributed around 1,500 entry forms to colleges, and now they are asking for more.
A lot of credit for this goes to our partners. We have generous sponsors like the Galadari group, and also many media sponsors who help us reach the right audience and market. Not the least among our partners are the award providers, although we have not yet announced them.
Since you started the Awards, have you seen a growing interest in media?
When we started, we got close to 800 entries. Last year, we had over 2,200. I think interest in media has always been there, but the challenge has been that people, especially students, were not able to find a platform to express that interest. Ibda’a opened its arms to people to say, if you have talent, show it to us. We are very proud that some of our award providers give internships. Some even sponsor the winners’ studies and give them a contract. Demand and interest are there, and we just help match them together.
How good is the work?
The judging is done in association with the IAA UAE chapter. They oversee the whole judging process. Everything is encoded to avoid exposure of names, countries etcetera.
In some sessions I have seen the judges get confused; they don’t know if it’s a professional job or a student’s job.
Interestingly, they don’t judge on the production quality. Judging is on the basis of the creativity, ability to get the message across, capability, and so on. It is unfair to judge on production quality because the entrants are only students, and may not be able to afford the best technology.
How do think the Awards help the students?
I remember two stories: One gentleman won an international internship with CNN in London, and on the first day he arrived there, the Iraq invasion took place. Another guy, who won an internship with Showtime, was an assistant director to Brad Pitt.
The Awards help to open many doors to companies that have high standards and policies, so whatever happens here helps in the students’ long-term growth. They also leave with an experience of Dubai, of the business and of the people.
What do you enjoy about the event?
Once we have the shortlist, we fly those students from their home countries and we give them a very nice five-night stay here. I have breakfast with them on the first day, and then I call them to a meeting. I have a one-hour chat with them and allow them to ask me any questions they want. Though they are nervous in the beginning, by the end they feel very comfortable.
When they go back after the event, the students leave a gap because the whole company has been hyper. There are lots of people around, we hear different stories, and we mentor them. So we miss them when they leave.
You have a number of entries from abroad. Have the Awards started gaining international prominence?
Our marketing initiatives for this project were originally regional, but the scope has increased. We have had entries from New Zealand, Japan and all over the world, so two or three years back we made the Awards international.
On one trip to Egypt, I had gone to an institute and the professor there told me, “You know, my students participate in a very nice project in Dubai. It’s called Ibda’a.” Such things make you feel very proud.
