Doha, Qatar – March 26, 2018 –  Students at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) were recognized for their work at the school’s annual Media and Research Awards ceremony. The event highlights the best student work in areas of research, documentary, creative writing, fiction, news, and multimedia content.

Prior to the awards ceremony, the university hosted a public showcase of all nominees at the NU-Q Auditorium. The submissions were judged by local and international industry leaders, including representatives from Al Jazeera, Memac Ogilvy, Ginger Camel, Qatar University, and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

“Each year our students create a number of creative, professional, and scholarly projects that are showcased and recognized for their excellence,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO. “At the Media and Research Awards ceremony our students’ work is validated by professionals from the industry, which is a true indication of the quality of their work.”

Students submit their work in 11 categories and one project is selected from each. Approximately a third of the NU-Q student body was involved in the creation of the nominated projects.

“The awards ceremony amplifies the spirit of collaboration that we have in NU-Q,” said student Zaki Hussain. “I’m excited for the premiere of my next film, Terima Kasih, which won the Best Creative Writing award for its screenplay.”

To judge the submissions, each year, NU-Q selects a number of experts from the industry, whose combined expertise covers an array of areas in media, journalism, and communication. This year, the judges were: Bronwyn Bethel, writing center administrator, Northwestern University in Qatar; Andrew Phillips, editor, Al Jazeera; Poppy Clinton, senior producer, Edge Picture Company; Hafiz Abdulla, director of the museum, Msheireb Properties; Rima Ismail, outreach and special projects manager, HBKU Press; AnilKumar Vijayan, editor, BQ Magazine; Stefan Lindberg-Jones, founder and managing director, Ginger Camel; Kamahl Santamaria, presenter, Al Jazeera; Hatoon Al Fassi, faculty member, Qatar University; Eid Mohamed, assistant professor of comparative literature, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies; Abdel-Samie Felfel, senior program manager, Qatar National Research Fund; Maclean Brodie, PR director, Memac Ogilvy.

The winners of this year’s event were:

Creative Writing
Zaki Hussain, Rami Al-Samarrae, Nicholas Wong
Terima Kasih

Documentary
Neha Rashid, Ammar Younas, Zaki Hussain
Kiln

Independent Image
Yassine Ouahrani, Suleima AlHajAbed, Shaunak Ranade
Noor

Independent Writing
Sara Sarwar, Ifath Arwah Sayed
Lost in (mis)translation

Journalistic Writing
Sarah Assami
Tribes and Neighborhoods

Multimedia
Juyoung Choi, Mingi Yoon
Passion

Narrative Fiction
Muhammad Muneeb Ur Rehman, Achira Bhattacharyya, A.J. Al-Thani, Razi Al-Islam
Gardez

News
Noor Jassmi, Manar Al-Jamal
Brexit in the Media

Research and Analysis: Humanities
Ibtesaam Moosa
Identity Politics in Two States

Research and Analysis: Social Science
Ibtesaam Moosa
Examining Candidate-centric and Voter Mobilization Strategies of Bharatiya Janata Party

Strategic Communication
Ibtesaam Moosa, Basmah Kamran Azmi, Zaki Hussain
The Good Indian Girl