Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, chairman of the Rotana Group, received the "CEO of the Year in the Media Sector Award" during the 2010 CEO Middle East Awards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reports Arab News.

According to the news site, “Prince Al-Waleed received the award in recognition of his strong presence, influence and his investments in media and entertainment in the Arab world and beyond.” Farhad Alsukait, COO of the Rotana Group, accepted the award on Prince Al-Waleed's behalf.

The Rotana Group is one of the most well-known media companies throughout the Middle East. It is a key distributor and producer of Arabic-language movies, and manages the region's most popular artists. Rotana owns numerous free-to-air satellite television channels, including the Lebanese Broadcasting Channel and Khalijiyah. The media group also owns radio stations, cafes, and a magazine, employing approximately 1,300 people across the region.

Recognition of the Saudi royalty's role in media development extended to include other leaders in the Gulf region. According to the Bahrain News Agency, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa received the Media Creativity Award due to his “positive initiative spirit towards supporting media freedoms” in the Kingdom.

The Kuwaiti Premier, Shaikh Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, presented the award during the opening of the 2010 Arab Media Forum's seventh session, entitled “Media-Telecommunication Technology.” According to the Bahrain News Agency, the award “reflects the forum's efforts to highlight policies aimed at providing a favorable climate for development and the role of governments in supporting liberties and positive media work.”

Nabil bin Yagoob Al-Hamar, the King's Advisor for Media Affairs, accepted the award during the ceremony. He expressed his pleasure with democratic development in Bahrain, commending the king's efforts to “support freedom of expression as a main pillar of the Kingdom's constitution and National Action Charter.”

Bahrain's Parliamentary Chairman, Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Dhahrani, congratulated the king on the media award, according to another article at the Bahrain News Agency. The chairman expressed parliamentary support for the royal efforts to “expand the space of responsible media freedom in the Kingdom,” by adopting legislation to further the cause while preserving national unity.

Other media contributors will be recognized at the 2010 Arab Journalism Awards, which will take place on May 12-13 in Dubai, UAE. According to AME Info, the Dubai Press Club released the names of 38 nominees across 10 award categories. Muna Bu Samra, deputy manager of the Arab Journalism Awards, commented, “The total number of highly innovative and unique submissions from across the Arab world reflects the increasing appeal of the most coveted recognition for journalism in the region.”

Each of the categories had three nominees. However, due to a large number of submissions, the “Young Journalist” category had six nominees and three separate awards. Samra pointed out that the volume of entries “reiterates the interest of the youth in the media industry.”

While congratulating the candidates, Samra also encouraged future participants to prepare for next year's awards. “We congratulate the shortlisted candidates, for whom this is a significant accomplishment, considering the stringent selection criteria for all the award categories. We encourage all the participants to submit creative works for the next edition of the Arab Journalism Awards,” she stated.