Arab News gets more global design recognition

Arab News, the Middle East’s leading English-language daily newspaper, was recognized in the international design awards run by “HOW” magazine for its iconic Women Drivers cover. (AN)
Updated 21 February 2019
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Arab News gets more global design recognition

  • Arab News scooped a Merit Award in the covers and jackets category for its front page
  • The annual competition celebrates design excellence on a global scale

LONDON: Arab News has scooped another international design award.

The Middle East’s leading English-language daily newspaper was recognized in the international design awards run by “HOW” magazine for its iconic Women Drivers cover.

The annual competition celebrates design excellence on a global scale — and every year honors entries from all over the world. 

“For Arab News to be recognized on a global scale with this award is a great honor. There were over 1,100 entries from all over the world so to win a Merit Award is a brilliant achievement,” said Arab News Global Creative Director Simon Khalil.

Arab News scooped a Merit Award in the covers and jackets category for its front page which featured an image of a Saudi woman driving by “New Yorker” illustrator Malika Favre.

It was commissioned by Arab News for the cover of a special souvenir edition on June 24 of last year and has since been shared around the world.

The image, of a road reflected in a woman’s sunglasses, has become one of the most retweeted artworks celebrating women driving in the Kingdom.

“As a champion of women for years through her unique creative style, Malika Favre was the obvious choice for our cover, and her illustration brilliantly captures the significance of this moment on the day Saudi Arabia changed forever,” added Khalil.

“This award will inspire the whole team to produce even better design and content for our readers and we are very pleased the design community has recognized our efforts with this prestigious award.”

This year’s awards attracted some 1,100 entries from around the world.


Arab News wins 7 prizes at European Newspaper Awards, led by 50th anniversary coverage

Updated 27 February 2026
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Arab News wins 7 prizes at European Newspaper Awards, led by 50th anniversary coverage

  • Anniversary special coverage and film won four Awards of Excellence across multiple categories

LONDON: Arab News won seven prizes at the 27th European Newspaper Awards — four for its 50th anniversary coverage and three for other projects — bringing its total to 160 awards since the 2018 relaunch.

The anniversary coverage earned an Award of Excellence in “Supplement for special occasions and anniversary editions,” plus wins in “Multimedia storytelling” for its special web section and two in “Film” and “Animated films” for its documentary.

Additional honors went to the “Spotlight — 2024 in Review” and “Opinion — 2024” print series in the “Sectional front pages nationwide newspaper” category, and a “Visualization” prize for an image from “Opinion — 2024.”

Launched in 1999 by organizer Norbert Kupper, the awards celebrate print and digital innovation. This year’s contest drew newspapers from 22 countries and more than 3,000 entries across 20 categories, despite fewer print submissions due to rising editorial collaborations.

“It’s testament to the skill, versatility and collaboration between the creative and editorial teams at Arab News that the seven awards at this year’s ENAs spanned print, digital and film categories,” commented Omar Nashashibi, head of creative design at Arab News. “These wouldn’t be possible without the world-class contributors we partner with, and the leadership, vision and support of Editor-In-Chief Faisal J. Abbas.”

Creative Director Simon Khalil called the film wins especially meaningful. “This recognition means a great deal because this film was never just about marking an anniversary, it was about capturing a defining moment in the evolution of Arab News and the region it represents.

“Telling the story, and drama of the 2018 relaunch, the digital transformation, and the courage to become ‘The Voice of a Changing Region’ was both a responsibility and a privilege.”

Past highlights include the “King Charles III Coronation” special coverage, “Kingdom vs. Captagon” investigation and FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 special edition.

See more award-winning projects at arabnews.com/greatesthits.