The Bahraini national press, with its various tools, and the effective and influential role it plays, is considered an authentic partner in the continuous development of the comprehensive development process of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of the country, may God protect and preserve him. The national press, through its pioneering career, has proven its role and sincere efforts in supplying the blessed march, and its active contribution to the service of visions and development aspirations included in Bahrain’s economic vision, in appreciation of these noble contributions.
The Prime Minister of the Press Prize continues to honor and encourage journalists, through the launch of its ninth session of 2025, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, may God protect him, in a distinguished annual event, proved his presence on the map of national events and events, which are awaited by journalists and media people every year with a lot of pride, pride and enthusiasm.
The “Prime Minister of the Press Prize” is a qualitative event in the march of journalistic work in the Kingdom of Bahrain since its foundation in 2016, and reflects what His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, may God protect him, receives from the care and attention of the press and journalists, which represents an incentive for them to play their role in serving the country’s issues and expressing the aspirations of citizens.
During the previous sessions, His Highness was keen to confirm the great value represented by the national press, and the great responsibility it holds towards the transfer of constructive messages on community issues, by sponsoring the award and honoring the national pens that devote the values of credibility and integrity. His Highness also stressed that journalists are major partners in supplying the goals of the comprehensive development march, and that the Bahraini press has great confidence in its ability to find opportunities for challenges, and to preserve honesty and objectivity in educating society and expressing its aspirations, pointing out that the national achievements that highlight the press, and the positive messages that publish it through its various means, pushes generations for creativity, excellence and serious work, to build On the success and industry of its national achievements for a bright future for the country and its children.
Over the past eight sessions, the award witnessed a development and diversity in its fields and categories, where six new awards were added, to become a total of ten press awards, in addition to honoring the “Press of the Year”, the inclusion of digital content and press students projects within the competing groups, as well as organizing accompanying events on the sidelines of the award ceremony, and forming a general secretariat of the award within the Ministry of Information.
The award continues in its ninth session this year with its ten developed categories, and includes: the best opinion column, the best press investigation, the best press interview, the best press photo, the best specialized page or annex, the best visual journalist content (video), the best “infographic”, the best site or news account for a press institution, the best student journalist project for universities, in addition to the “Persian Personal Personality Award”, which is granted annually to a journalist personality Bahraini in appreciation of her contributions in the field of journalism, and the works and roles she presented that affected the press scene, and left clear imprints in the national press march.
The award aims to celebrate journalists, honor them and appreciate their great contributions, encourage creativity and distinction in the Bahraini press content industry in its various patterns and molds, and enhance the spirit of competition between media institutions to provide the best press content. The added value of the award goals increased after expanding the comprehensiveness of its categories, by targeting the diversification of digital press content on newspapers and accounts on social networks, as well as supporting and encouraging young media competencies in the colleges of journalism and media, and opening the way for them to participate in the practical environment through their specialized academic work.
The fields of the award keep pace with the rapid technical transformations, and the growing techniques of digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications that have imposed a new reality on the media industry, as the national press was able to keep pace with these transformations, in a way that contributes to its continued pioneering role in light of the climate of freedom of opinion and expression, commitment to the responsible word, and adherence to the national identity in the content of the press and media message, and the ethics of this sublime profession.
Here, the vital role played by the award, and the importance of the continuation of its courses because of its impact in supporting and encouraging journalists, press institutions, and academy specialized in media and the press, is highlighted to enhance professional convergence and use it in a professional manner that stimulates more excellence and creativity.
It is worth noting that the “Prime Minister of the Press Prize” allows every press or journalistic institution working in a Bahraini local newspaper or magazine, as well as for students of departments and colleges of the press and media in Bahraini universities, to apply for their work to obtain one of the prizes submitted, according to the approved conditions.
The general conditions of the award are that they are limited to the published or produced materials during the year before the celebration, in the local press or colleges and departments of the press and media in universities. Each journalist or journalistic institution has the right to apply only two participants for each of the award categories, and the colleges and departments of the press and media in Bahraini universities are entitled to nominate only three student posts within the category of the best student journalistic project for universities.
The conditions also stipulate that if the journalist or the institution is submitted more than two participants, the first two participants will be approved electronically and the rest is canceled. Participants are not entitled to submit a business that has previously won local or foreign prizes, with the applicant bearing full responsibility for his work presented to the award.
