Saudi Media Forum Concludes With Awards As Global Participation Sets Guinness Record

Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary attended the closing ceremony of the fifth Saudi Media Forum, held under the theme "Media in an Evolving World," where leading officials and media professionals from Saudi Arabia and overseas joined the event and celebrated winners across multiple award categories.

The forum reported 65,603 visitors during this fifth edition, a figure that set a new global record and secured a Guinness World Records certificate, while the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) ran alongside the forum, highlighting the growing international standing of the Saudi Media Forum.

Awards for the fifth Saudi Media Forum edition were announced during the ceremony, where Khalid Al-Badr received the news report award, Abdulhadi Habtoor gained the journalistic interview award, and Lama Al-Suhali secured the academic research award, reflecting recognition across core areas of written media output.

Further honours covered audio and visual content, including an award for AI-generated material in that category, while the "Rachid Show" from Morocco won the social talk shows track, and the Ministry of Culture received the podcast and radio talk shows track award for its podcast "1949".

The Tourism Development Fund won the best media work for National Day award, the Ministry of Defense gained the best media work for Founding Day award for the film "Al-Awja," the Saudi Vision 2030 account received the best media work for Flag Day award, and Dr. Hussein Najjar was named media personality of the year.

Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah received the global competitor award, while Dr. Mohammed Al-Rumaihi gained the column writing award, underscoring recognition of individuals whose work extended across humanitarian communication, opinion writing, and wider regional media engagement.

Saudi Media Forum institutional plans and Future of Media Exhibition

President of the Saudi Media Forum Mohammed Al-Harthi thanked supporters, partners, and participants, stating that a culture of gratitude and appreciation reflects societies’ awareness, commitment to honouring their symbols and creatives, and supports recognition of effort, while also stressing that media is now a partner in development, awareness-building, and change.

Mohammed Al-Harthi explained that around 300 speakers from various countries had taken part, and the strong attendance enriched dialogue, helped position the event as a global media platform, and coincided with FOMEX, where more than 250 companies presented the latest content-creation technologies.

The Saudi Media Forum is working to shift into a sustainable institutional framework through several qualitative initiatives aimed at supporting and developing the media sector, and these plans align with broader ambitions in Saudi Arabia to enhance professional practice and strengthen the sector’s contribution to national and international communication.

At the end of the closing ceremony, winners posed for commemorative photos with Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary, who also honoured the forum’s partners and sponsors, bringing the fifth Saudi Media Forum and the associated Future of Media Exhibition to a formal and celebratory close.

With inputs from SPA