Top Emirati politician and advisor to the UAE President Anwar Gargash was named 'Influential Personality of the Year' on the final day of the Arab Media Summit.

Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed Al Maktoum honored Gargash for his efforts to boost the UAE and the Arab world’s presence on the global stage. He was also honored for his work in promoting balanced media discourse.

KT Photo: Ruqayya Al Qaydi

This was given as part of the fifth edition of the ‘Arab Social Media Influencers Award’. Other notable recipients included Anas Bukhash, a popular Emirati podcast host. He was awarded in the podcast category in recognition of his talk show ‘ABtallks’, which tackles topics that reflect the reality and aspirations of Arab youth.

KT Photo: Hind Aldah

Other recipients included Mohammed Al Nofli from Oman, who was recognised in the sports category for his motivational content encouraging young people to pursue active lifestyles, and Ahmed Al-Zamel from Kuwait, who won the entrepreneurship award for his work promoting youth empowerment in innovation and investment.

The UAE’s Ahmed Al Marzouqi took home the award in the economy category for creating content that simplifies complex financial topics. The tourism category went to Bahraini creator Omar Farouq, known for his videos highlighting culture and human stories from around the world.

From the arts, Saudi Arabia’s Shahid platform won in the arts and entertainment category, while Ahmed Al Nasheet of Bahrain received the culture award for promoting meaningful content that celebrates Arab identity. The ‘Best Children’s Platform’ went to Ta’allam Ma’ Zakaria, recognised for its Arabic-language educational content presented in a fun and engaging way for kids.

Kuwaiti recipients included Dr Talal Al-Muhaisin in the health category and Bibi Al-Khudhari in the community category for her humanitarian work. The 'Best News Platform' award was presented to Blinx for its youth-focused news content.

The awards ceremony was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and is part of Dubai’s broader vision to support socially responsible digital media.