/PRNewswire/ –Viory, the global South’s video news agency, made its impressive debut with the inaugural Global South Video News Awards at the BRIDGE Summit, the world’s largest emerging media conference in Abu Dhabi. The ceremony recognized video journalists whose work highlights the region’s stories with clarity and impact.
Mai Maxwell, host of the Global South Video News Awards delivering the award categories on stage
Winners of the Global South Video News Awards with the host of the ceremony. Left to right: Ernest Dela Aglanu, Mai Maxwell (host), Maxi Jonas, Enrique Ortiz, Shahd Alabdouli (Accepting on behalf of Masoud Al Jarousha)
The awards ceremony was hosted by media personality Mai Maxwell, widely known as maisvault, and attracted a diverse audience of major broadcasters, video journalists and industry leaders from across the Global South.
The award ceremony’s partners from the United Arab Emirates included Emirates News Agency (WAM), TRENDS Research & Advisory, Abu Dhabi University and the University of Sharjah. International media partners also included the African Union of Broadcasting, the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development, the OIC States Broadcasting Union and the Union of OIC News Agencies, with the leadership of the UAE Association of Journalists also in attendance.
Opening the ceremony, Alex Kobia, African Distribution Lead at Viory, delivered a keynote address highlighting the importance of the awards ceremony. He said: “Today, the Global South is no longer nascent – it has arrived. Its stories deserve to be told with accuracy, depth and integrity. Verified visual journalism is essential in a time of rapid change and misinformation, and Viory is proud to support more than 3,000 journalists who bring clarity and the truth on the ground to audiences around the world.”
Shahd Alabdouli, content creator and youth representative for the United Arab Emirates, followed with reflections from her humanitarian missions in Al-Arish, Syria and Rafah. She spoke about the role of visual journalism in maintaining dignity, amplifying unheard voices, and reminding audiences that humanity is at the heart of every story.
The jury consisted of more than 20 senior professionals from some of the largest international media organizations in the Global South. These included representatives from Clarín (Argentina), Hindustan Times (India), Korean Broadcasting System, TeleSUR (Venezuela) and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, many of whom were present at the ceremony.
Four winners from around the world were honored for their exceptional contributions to visual storytelling:
- BestCamerawork – Maxi Jonas
- Most creative shot – Enrique Ortiz
- Exclusive lens – Masoud Al Jarousha
- Vital Footage Award– Ernest Dela Aglanu
The ceremony concluded with Viory reaffirming her continued commitment to credible reporting, strengthening journalism communities and ensuring important local stories receive the attention they deserve.
Notes for editors:
INFORMATION ABOUT VIORY
Viory is the video news agency of the global south.
Focused on empowering and disseminating diverse perspectives from its geographic, geopolitical and development global heartland, Viory is a trusted source for important news from the Global South.
Based in the vibrant Middle East hub of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Viory’s rapidly growing team includes some of the world’s leading news industry professionals who work together to provide their clients with the tools, exclusive materials and resources necessary to tell the whole story. Extensive coverage covers a variety of topics including breaking news, politics, technology, sports, business, entertainment and much more. Viory’s library contains over 180,000 videos, with around 65 new videos added daily. In addition, the digital platform offers over 400 hours of live streams per month in six languages.
Viory sources footage directly from the scene, acquiring and producing global and regional breaking news thanks to thousands of video journalists on the ground. This ever-growing network provides essential content to everyone from international media companies to regional news outlets.www.viory.video
For further information please contact:
Email: [emailprotected] | Telephone: +971527778618
Website: www.viory.video
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