Sharjah Media Centre-Sharjah-UAE: September 11, 2013 - Sharjah Media Centre has announced that it has extended the application deadline for Sharjah Government Communication Award (GCA) to October 1, 2013. This came after Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre (SMC), instructed the GCA's organizers to extend the participation period in the various categories of the award in response to suggestions by potential applicants and media students in Sharjah. GCA welcomes the participation of government communication practitioners in the UAE and GCC region. It also welcomes the participation of institutions, opinion leaders and researchers in the fields of media and communication, as well as media students, through its official website www.communicationaward.ae. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi stressed that the award, which was launched to honour creativity, did not overlook the allocation of a category for media and communication students in Sharjah, given that they are the basic building block for constructing the society and translating its objectives. He indicated that the extension of the participation period gives students ample opportunity to participate, especially with the conclusion of the summer vacation and the beginning of the new academic year. Meanwhile, the Chairman of SMC applauded the role of the GCA's judging panel in the evaluation of the award categories, emphasizing their effective contribution to giving prominence to the award locally and regionally . The GCA was created to be a mechanism for the appraisal of efforts exerted by individuals, groups and local and regional institutions in media and communication. The award was also established to support the achievements of those people and encourage their sense of creativity, to therefore bring about a distinguished media and communication industry in the UAE and the region. The GCA comprises 11 awards divided under two main divisions; the selected categories, which include two awards allocated for the GCC area, and the nominated categories, which comprise nine awards, four of which are dedicated for Sharjah and five allocated to the UAE as a whole. The SMC has allocated $36,000 to the Sharjah Government Communication Award categories. The amount will be divided over six of the 11 categories, including Best Radio Talk Show Award and Best Topical TV Program Award, each of which presents the financial prize of USD 8,000. The Best Investigative Report Award, open for submissions from all over the UAE, and the Best Official Spokesperson Award, for applicants from Sharjah, each offer a reward of $6,000. The Young Media Person Award, available for applicants from Sharjah, and the Best Journalistic Photo Award, for all UAE-based applicants, award their winners with $4,000 each. It is notable that the GCA, which is the first of its kind in the region, plans to announce the winners and honour them in an official ceremony held in the last quarter of 2013.
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