In a step that restores consideration to the engineers of the word and the makers of the image in Paper pressThe jury of the Yahya Zahran Award for Print Journalism brought down the curtain on the works of its first session, announcing the names of the winning creators in its three branches: special files, magazine issues, and documentary books. This first edition of the award, which is organized in a strategic partnership between the Journalists Syndicate and Al-Ahram Foundation, witnesses strong competition between distinguished journalistic works submitted by various institutions. The committee unanimously agreed to crown the works that took first and second places, in appreciation of their exceptional visual, professional and documentary value, and in a way that reflects the continuing importance of this journalistic art in preserving the visual memory of the Egyptian press.
Winners of Yahya Zahran Awards
The first place in the newspaper files branch was won by colleague Muhammad Jalal Farraj Sayyid from Al-Jumhuriya newspaper, for the file published in Al-Dustour newspaper entitled “Afaf Radi… Return the Peace,” due to what distinguished the work in terms of coherent directive treatment and the ability to employ the image, title, and white space in presenting an integrated human and artistic file. Our colleague Ahmed Mohamed Hassan Kababi from Al-Akhbar newspaper also won second place in the same branch, for the file “Originally Egyptian,” which presented a distinguished directorial treatment that reflected an ability to build an integrated journalistic file visually and editorially.
In the special issue section of magazines, first place was won by colleague Sameh Othman Al-Kashef from Al-Ahram newspaper for the special issue issued by Ibdaa magazine about the great writer Sanallah Ibrahim, an issue that the committee considered presented a unique directorial and cultural treatment worthy of the value of a prominent literary figure in Egyptian and Arab cultural life.
Colleague Walid Nayef from Aladdin magazine from Al-Ahram Foundation won second place in the special issue of magazines branch, for the New Year’s issue, in appreciation of the directorial effort it included that was appropriate to the nature of the magazine and its audience, and the ability to employ visual elements in presenting an attractive and diverse special issue.
As for the documentary book branch, first place was won by our colleague Muhammad Salim Muhammad Salim from Radio and Television Magazine, for the book “Umm Kulthum Speaks for Herself,” in appreciation of the documentary and directorial value the work carries in presenting the biography of the Planet of the East in a way that combines visual beauty and journalistic accuracy.
Our colleague Amr Mahmoud Ali Mostafa won second place in the documentary book branch, for the book “The State of Recitation,” from Akhbar Al-Youm Foundation for the documentary and visual treatment he presented of a topic of cultural and spiritual value, and in a way that reflects the importance of the documentary journalistic book in preserving Egyptian memory.
Journalist Maged Mounir, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram newspaper and chairman of the award’s board of trustees, confirmed that launching an award bearing the name of the late Yahya Zahran represents a well-deserved tribute to one of the icons of journalistic production in Egypt, and to a generation that created print journalism with its visual personality and professional specificity.
He said that the award not only honors the winners, but also restores consideration to the art of journalistic production as an essential element in the making of newspapers, magazines, and journalistic books, and not just an artistic work that complements the editorial content. Majed Mounir added that the importance of the award comes at a time when print journalism needs to celebrate all elements of professional excellence, especially in light of the vast digital transformations taking place in the media field, pointing out that good journalistic production remains capable of giving the text a new life, and of transforming journalistic material into an influential visual experience that is firmly established in the reader’s memory.
For his part, journalist writer Mohamed Yahya Youssef, a member of the Journalists Syndicate Council and the union’s representative for activity, confirmed that the first edition of the award revealed the presence of real professional energies within Egyptian journalistic institutions, and a clear ability among colleagues to present printed works that combine creativity, professional discipline, and serious documentation.
Muhammad Yahya Youssef said that the participation of this number of works in the first session reflects the journalists’ appreciation for the value of the award and the name it bears, indicating that the Journalists Syndicate is keen to support every initiative that contributes to raising the level of the profession, and honoring journalistic creativity in its various branches, especially journalistic production, which represents the interface of printed journalistic work and one of the most important elements of its influence.
