Dubai Media City (DMC), a member of TECOM Investments, today announced the sixth edition of the Ibda'a Media Student Awards, which will include a career day for the first time this year.

A unique regional initiative which recognises outstanding media students, the Ibda'a Media Student Awards, launched by DMC in 2001, encourage and nurture young media talent from around the world. They have received an overwhelming response for previous editions.

Mohamed Al Mulla, Director of Dubai Media City and Coordinator General of the Awards, said: 'The Ibda'a Media Student Awards have generated significant regional and worldwide interest. In order to further expand the scope of the awards, we are organising the Ibda'a Career Day this year. Our objective is to create links between media institutions and students which will help tap the potentially vast pool of young talent in the region."

'The awards seek to celebrate creative excellence in media in an environment suitable to free expression. We are confident, this will act as a forum to bring together students who will lead the growth and success of media sector in the region.'

Dubai Media City will host the Career Day on 26 December. Also on the sidelines of the awards, an exhibition of short-listed entries will be held from 25-29 December. The winners of this year's awards will be announced during the closing ceremony on 27 December.

The event is organized on an annual basis by Dubai Media City in association with the International Advertising Association (IAA).

For the sixth edition of the Ibda'a Media Student Awards, Dubai-based Ziad Galadari Group is the title sponsor while co-sponsors are Emirates Bank, Arabian Automobiles, OMD and Carassi. The media partners are Motivate Publishing, Zee TV, Showtime, Xische, 7 Star Events, Arabian Radio Network, Al Emarat Al Youm and Emirates Today dailies, CNBC Arabia and DMI.

Ziad Abdulla Galadari, Chairman of Ziad Galadari Group, said: "Our Group is proud to be title sponsor of the sixth edition of the Ibda'a Media Student Awards. We value the capabilities of the region's youth and seek to support students who will be focusing on analysis and content creation as part of their media-related work.

'We believe these awards are an excellent opportunity to encourage students to be a part of an initiative which not only attracts global talent but encourages media students in the Arab world. This is crucial to the continued growth of this region."

The previous edition of Ibda'a Media Student Awards attracted 2,217 entries from more than 20 countries including Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, India, Iran, Turkey, Canada, Japan, the US and the UK.

Al Mulla explained that the Ibda'a Media Student Awards initiative is in line with DMC's Corporate Social Responsibility policy. He pointed out that while the award offers an opportunity for students to take part in a creative venture, it also acts as a platform which benefits the community in general.

Special emphasis has been given to attract the best entries for Ibda'a Media Student Awards. A dedicated team coordinates with the universities and higher education institutions in the UAE, the Pan Arab region and internationally. DMC also has representatives in India, Egypt, Iran, the US and the UK to create awareness about this award.

The Ibda'a Media Student Awards cover 10 main categories including journalism (non-news), radio, animation, graphic design, analogue photography, digital photography, print advertising, TV advertising, TV documentary and film/TV feature.