SHARJAH: Kuwait’s Eisa Alhabib won on Thursday the best content creator award as part of the 18+ category of 11th Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA), UAE’s news agency (WAM) reported. Alhabib was born and raised in the UAE to Kuwaiti parents. He was on a scholarship from Kuwait to study medicine in Canada, first in Calgary and then in Halifax, when he won a photography award in 2014.

Alhabib went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in science from Canada without pursuing his medical education. During his time in Canada, Alhabib vlogged about his experience on Youtube and later created content for Instagram. In 2020, he joined an influencer training program helmed by blogger Nas Daily, which received online backlash for being a cover for normalization with the Zionist entity. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for a boycott of the Palestinian blogger, whose name is Nuseir Yassin, for hiring a Zionist to train the influencers and for alleged attempts to whitewash the Palestinian struggle.

Alhabib went on to work with Nas Daily until 2024 and is now a presenter with Khaleej Times. He won the Young Creatives Award by the International Emmy Awards in 2017 for his short film Domestic Cycle.

Speaking in the ceremony, Tariq Allay, Director General of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) said: “Over the past eleven years, SGCA has not only recognized outstanding efforts but has also been a catalyst for positive change”. “It supports those committed to advancing government communication and aligns with Sharjah’s vision to create a new paradigm in government communication, contributing to community development, he said, according to the agency.

Media personality Mona El Shazly, on behalf of the SGCA jury committee, said SGCA has consistently played a key role in improving the performance of government institutions and raising public awareness about the importance of transparent and innovative communication.

She noted that the award “promotes best practices, encourages exchanging ideas and experiences, and elevates government messaging to be more effective and responsive to society’s needs”. She emphasized that SGCA recognizes communication as a universal language without borders, where the success stories of individuals and companies deserve recognition and celebration through this prestigious global platform. Some winners in varied categories have been honored as well.

Best Youth Initiative in Government Communication was won by Citizen’s Office Initiative in Morocco. The Best Official Spokesperson category winner was Hussein Mohammed Al-Qahtani from Saudi Arabia, while the Best Research in Communication Sciences award was won by Mahmoud Shafei Abdel-Latif from Egypt. Lastly, in the Best Purposeful Digital Content Creator category, the winner under 18 was UAE’s Aisha Humaid Al Khayyal, while the 18+ category winner was Kuwait’s Alhabib.