Dubai, UAE: In conjunction with the 41st UAE National Day celebrations and reflecting upon the spirit of the nation du today launched Social Media Awards. Social Media practitioners can nominate their initiatives for the awards through www.du.ae/awards, until 20 November.
Ahmad Bin Byat, Chairman, du, said:”The UAE is a pioneer in all fields especially in emerging platforms and technologies; and this is a major reason why social media is so popular here. We wanted to have an initiative in promoting positive social behaviour that would contribute to the UAE society and came up with Social Media Awards as a rewarding programme to motivate and encourage social media practitioners among people in the UAE. We believe these awards will provide a further impetus to the social media scene in the UAE and also channelise the efforts of these practitioners towards creating a  more constructive framework in tweeting, posting and blogging. The launch of this initiative today is perfectly  coincides with the patriotic celebrations of the UAE National Day.”
“We are one of the first local brands to successfully utilise Social Media channels to engage with the community, Our motto “add life to life” exemplifies our dedication to empowering the UAE community and driving meaningful social dialogue,” stated Bin Byat.
The Social Media Awards aim to achieve multiple objectives such as  a. Engaging with the youth and encouraging them to contribute positively to the UAE community through Social Media,; b. Driving patriotic behaviour among the youth and instill a sense of belonging to the UAE and its leaders; c. Showcasing positive practices by active community members on Social Media and;  d.  Rewarding and celebrating role models who have contributed to driving positive change within the UAE.
Applicants can apply by visiting www.du.ae/awards. Participants will be asked to furnish documentation of their projects and accomplishments.
A specialised judging panel will evaluate the entries based on: Innovation, Social Media reach and engagement, Community impact, Awareness and public engagement, and type of social cause. The evaluation will be conducted in complete transparency and with neutrality by an independent panel of experts in accordance with criteria reviewed by consultants in this field. More details will be available at a later stage.

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