Winners receive Awards at WSA-mobile Gala

Intro image: 

The 2010 World Summit Awards for Mobile Content (WSA-mobile) were distributed last evening at the Awards Gala Dinner in Abu Dhabi.  The Gala was the spectacular opening event for the WSA Mobile Winners’ Conference and Expo, which takes place December 7-8 at the Yas Marina Circuit Media Centre.

Those present at the dinner included Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister for Foreign Trade, His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, Secretary General of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al-Khaili, Director General of Abu Dhabi Education Council, His Excellency Rashid Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General of ADSIC and chair of the Conference Organizing Committee, His Excellency Dr. Talal Abu Ghazala, Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), Professor Peter A. Bruck, Chairman of the WSA, His Excellency Mohamed Al Ghanim, Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, His Excellency Ivo Ivanovski, Minister for Information Society, Republic of Macedonia, members of the GAID advisory council and the board members of WSA.

“It is an honour to welcome the world to Abu Dhabi this week,” said H.E. Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, during his address to the Gala attendees. “We are grateful for the noble efforts of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development and the World Summit Awards with the support of the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre, to have such a diverse body of talent among us today. The Abu Dhabi Government views the development of the ICT sector as core to advancing socio-economic development and prosperity throughout the UAE. The events this week are only one example of how the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is working and will continue to work with regional and international partners ... to share our respective experiences and build a better future for Abu Dhabi and for humankind.”
 
“It is my honour to congratulate the winners of the first WSA ceremony to be hosted in Abu Dhabi,” added H.E. Rashid al Mansoori while presenting the awards.

The WSA Gala, Conference and Exposition comes on the heels of the United Nation’s Fifth Annual Meeting of The Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID). Like GAID, the WSA are hosted by the Abu Dhabi Government and organised in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre under the leadership of H.E. Rashid Lahej Al Mansoori.

The WSA-mobile awards honour the most outstanding content in eight categories: m-Business, m-Government, m-Health, m-Learning, m-Media, m-Entertainment, m-Tourism and m-Inclusion. In each of the eight categories, the Grand Jury of global experts selected five winners. More than 420 products from close to 100 UN member states were entered in the 2010 contest with awards going to 40 organizations from 15 nations.

The finalists were selected in the UN member states by a multi-step evaluation process led by eminent national experts, an independent selection committee or an open national contest. The Grand Jury of 20 internationally recognized experts selected the global winners from the national finalists.

“The jury members hail from all continents and have rich and diverse professional backgrounds as leaders in the creative, telecommunication, advertising, media and research industries. The jury was sensitive to cultural differences and worked to award great m-content, regardless of whether it originated in Canada, Mexico, Guatemala or Slovenia,” explains WSA Chairman Prof. Peter A. Bruck. “This way the WSA ensure that the events in Abu Dhabi present what is top on the global plane.”

View pictures of the 2010 events at flickr.

Update: Pictures of all categories & winners online!