HIBAPRESS
The JOY AWARDS 2026 awards ceremony was held the day before yesterday evening (Saturday) in its sixth edition in Riyadh, under the umbrella of the Riyadh season and organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) in strategic partnership with MBC, in the presence of Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority, in an exceptional night that brought together stars of art, cinema, drama, music, sports, and influencers from the Arab world and the world, amid a wide media and public presence.
The ceremony was broadcast live on "MBC 1", "MBC Misr", "MBC Iraq" and "MBC 5" channels, in addition to the "MBC Shahid" platform, where viewers followed the arrival of the stars and the atmosphere of the lavender carpet, then the moments of honoring and announcing the results, in addition to live musical and acrobatic performances that formed an integrated artistic painting that extended throughout the evening.
The night opened with the arrival of artists and celebrities at the ceremony site amid a remarkable festive atmosphere, which coincided with a wide media presence and great interaction with the moments of arrival and the first appearance of the stars, before the arrival of advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, whose presence represented a main stop at the beginning of the evening, in preparation for the start of the official ceremony program.
After that, the Saudi Royal Anthem was played, and then the evening moved towards the entertainment opening show in which the world singer "Katy Perry" participated within a special introductory segment that formed a unique visual experience, and brought together elements of the orchestra, dancers and special effects, in an integrated artistic painting that relied on dynamic lighting, visual effects and the remarkable theatrical presence, reflecting the size of the production and the accuracy of the preparation for this night.
The artistic performances continued with an acrobatic interval for the "Bilopolos" team through a shadow dance performance that presented innovative and light-paced visual scenes, redirecting the attention of the audience towards the stage in a different interactive style, before the awards began one after the other according to the program amid clear anticipation from the audience and the media for the stages of announcing the winners and the honors.
With the start of the awards competitions, Razan Jamal and Mona Zaki presented the special segment for presenting the award for Best Actor in the series category, in which Abdulrahman bin Nafe competed for "Avenue of the Blind", Abdulmohsen Al-Namer for "The Sea", Moatasem Al-Nahar for "Breath", and Hisham Majed for "Very Busy Jobs", before the result was announced and the artist Abdulmohsen Al-Namer was crowned with the award.
Tuba Buyukustun and Halit Ergenc took over the presentation of the award for Best Mashreq Series, which witnessed competition between "Aseer", "With Blood", "Under the Seventh Earth" and "Salma", before the series "Salma" won, and the work team received the award.
After that, the ceremony witnessed a special honoring moment within the Lifetime Achievement Award, where advisor Turki Al-Sheikh presented the artist and former Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni on stage, in appreciation of his long career and his outstanding contributions, in one of the most prominent moments of the evening, where His Excellency the Advisor indicated that the award is honored in the artist Farouk Hosni, for his part, Farouk expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom and its leadership, and to His Excellency the Advisor for the honor that he cherishes and appreciates very much.
In the award for Best New Face in the series category, Mai Omar and Mohamed Sami presented the special segment for the award, which included among its candidates, Tarf Al-Obeidi for the series "My Mother", Rossel Al-Ibrahim for the series "Salma", Ali Al-Baili for his role in the series "Lam Shamsia", and Lama Abdel Wahab for her role in the series "Avenue of the Blind", before the result was announced and Tarf Al-Obeidi was crowned with the award.
The artistic performances returned to the forefront through a large singing segment presented by the artist Angham with the participation of the Polish guitarist "Marcin", within a live performance on stage that the audience interacted with, before the awards were completed with Mohamed Henedy presenting the award for Best Gulf Series, in which the works "The Sea", "My Mother", "Avenue of the Blind" and "Summer of 99" competed, and ended with the victory of the series "Avenue of the Blind", and the work team received the award.
The results continued with the award for Best Actress in the series category, which was presented by Barish Arduch and Hande Erçel, after a competition that included Al-Anoud Saud for her role in the series "My Mother", Ilham Ali for her role in the series "Avenue of the Blind", Amina Khalil for the role she presented in the series "Lam Shamsia", and Karis Bashar for her outstanding role in the series "Under the Seventh Earth", to end with the victory of Karis Bashar with the award.
In the Best Egyptian Series category, Lee Byung-hun and Lee Jung-jae presented the award, in which the works "It's It", "Very Busy Jobs", "Aisha's Role" and "Lam Shamsia" competed, before the series "Very Busy Jobs" won, and the actors of the work received the award.
The ceremony witnessed a prominent honoring stop within the "Diamond Entertainment Makers Award", where Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh honored His Excellency Mr. Nasser bin Ghanem Al-Khelaifi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the BeIn Media Group, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), where he received the award in appreciation of his influential role in the sports and media entertainment industry at the international level. This moment came amid wide interaction from the audience, to form one of the most prominent and symbolic stops of the evening, as one of the high honorary awards that celebrate the leaders who have left their mark in this field.
Following the honoring of Al-Khelaifi, the ceremony moved to a special musical segment presented by the pianist Jude Kofie on stage, through a live performance on the grand piano that included short musical pieces, including the piece "Radinak", to add this moment a calm artistic dimension within the sequence of the evening before completing the following awards segments.
On the sports awards front, Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez and Egyptian actress Nelly Karim presented the award for Best Athlete, which included football players Salem Al-Dawsari, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Yassine Bounou, before the award was granted to Yassine Bounou, and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Mustafa Al-Mansouri, received it on his behalf, and they also presented the award for Best Athlete, which included Dunia Abu Talib in taekwondo, Valerie Terzi in swimming, Laila Al-Qahtani in football, and Hania Minhas in tennis, and ended with the victory of Saudi athlete Laila Al-Qahtani.
In the music category, Syrian actress Nour Ali, and Syrian actor Taim Hasan presented the award for Best Artist, in which Al-Shami, Sultan Al-Murshid, Ayed, and Fadl Shaker competed, and ended with the victory of Fadl Shaker, who received the award on his behalf Ziad Hamza. After that, Marwan Khoury presented the award for Best New Face in Music, which included Hamza, Luna Karam, Mohamed Fadl Shaker and Yazid Fahd, and it was won by Mohamed Fadl Shaker.
The atmosphere of the evening continued with a remarkable singing segment that brought together the world star Robbie Williams and the artist Ayed, where Robbie Williams presented a collection of his most famous works, including "Feel", while Ayed presented the song "Imagine If" amid great interaction from the audience, before they met in a special duet for the song "Angels" which formed one of the most prominent and interactive moments of the ceremony.
Katy Perry came forward to present the award for Best Female Artist, in which Assala, Angham, Bissan Ismail and Nancy Ajram competed, before the result was announced and Angham was crowned with the award, to add a new stop to her presence on a night that brought together live performance and honoring.
In the award for Best Song, Amr Youssef and Hana Zahed presented the special segment for the award, in which "I apologize and come to you" by Ayed, "Husayni", "Too Late" and "Doctor" by Al-Shami, and "Sahak Al-Shawq" by Fadl Shaker competed, to end with the victory of "Sahak Al-Shawq" as a work of art with the Best Song award, and the award was received on his behalf by Mohamed Zaki Hassanein, who conveyed the desire of the artist Fadl Shaker to keep the award with His Excellency the Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh until he receives it from His Excellency personally.
In the influencers category, Ahmed Al-Qahtani (Shong Bong) and Maryam Nasser presented the award for Best Influencer, in which Abu Khalil (Ibrahim Al-Omari), Osama Marwa, Aziz bin Muhammad, and Mujrim Qayms (Ryan Al-Ahmari) competed, before it was won by Ryan Al-Ahmari. They also presented the award for Best Influencer, which included Israa Nabil, Ayati, Rital Al-Shahri, and Sherine Amara, and ended with the victory of Rital Al-Shahri.
The evening also witnessed a remarkable honoring stop within the honorary awards track, where Saudi Saleh Al-Araidh was awarded the "Honorary Entertainment Makers Award", which he received during a segment presented by Lama Abdel Wahab and Yacoub Al-Farhan, in a celebratory moment that reflected appreciation for his career and contributions. The honoring moments continued with the honoring of the artist Assala within the honorary awards, where Amina Khalil and Shah Rukh Khan presented her with the award in an exceptional scene that brought together an Arab and international presence, and carried a lot of interaction and appreciation for an extended artistic career that created a solid presence in the memory of the Arab audience.
After that, the evening took a touching and emotional turn with the "In Memoriam" segment presented by the artist Abeer Nehme with her voice, in an emotional musical performance that evoked the meanings of loyalty and gratitude for the memory of those who passed away from the art scene in 2025 AD, and celebrated the artistic and humanitarian memory that remains present in the conscience of the audience, before the following segments of the ceremony were completed.
After that, Alexander Ludwig and Slava Maar presented the award for Best Film Director, in which Sarah Wafi competed for the film "Restart", Abdulaziz Al-Shalahi for the film "Hubal", Omar Al-Mohandes for the film "Siko Siko" and Abdullah Majed for the film "Al-Zarfa", and it ended with the victory of Omar Al-Mohandes.
After that came the "Person of the Year" stop, which was presented by Baraa Alam and Mayan Elsayed, and was awarded to the British star Millie Bobby Brown, who is known for her distinctive roles in a number of films and series, where she went on stage to receive the award amid great interaction from the audience, in a moment that reflected the global dimension of the ceremony and the size of international participation within the sixth edition of JOY AWARDS.
In the television direction category, Alfie Allen and Nour El-Ghandour presented the award for Best Series Director, in which Ahmed Katakesiz and Gul Saraltin, Joudat Marjan, Sarhan Shaheen, Khaled Diab, and Rasha Sherbatji competed, to end with the victory of Ahmed Katakesiz and Gul Saraltin for "Avenue of the Blind".
The honorary awards continued with the awarding of the Lifetime Achievement Award to the world star Forest Whitaker, within a special segment presented by Carmen Bsaibes and Youssef El-Sherif, which formed one of the prominent honoring stops in the evening. After that, the ceremony moved to a joint singing segment that brought together the Il Divo band and the singer Liz Mitchell, in a musical performance that enhanced the beauty of the evening, before the segments of the ceremony continued with an important cinematic stop within the competition awards.
In the award for Best Film Actor, Heather Graham and Bassem Youssef presented the special segment for the award, in which Ahmed Malek competed for his role in the film "6 Days", Bashar Al-Shatti for his role in the film "Monster Around Me", Majed Al-Kedwany for his distinguished role in the film "What's Wrong with You", and Mohamed Shayef for his role in the film "Al-Zarfa, before Majed Al-Kedwany was crowned with the award.
After that, Kuwaiti director Ahmed Al-Doghji was honored within the honorary awards and the award was presented to him by the American actor Jeremy Piven, in the presence of: the CEO of Rotana Company, Salem Al-Hindi, and the artist Mohamed Abdo on stage, then Oscar Isaac and Huda Al-Mufti presented the award for Best Film Actress, in which Aya Samaha competed for her role in the film "6 Days", Donia Samir Ghanem for her role in the film "Rocky the Poor", Shujoun for her role in the film "Wedding of Fire", and Hana Al-Zahed for her role in the film "Restart", to end with the victory of the Kuwaiti Shujoun, with the producer Saud Al-Mudaf receiving the award on her behalf.
The final moments witnessed the honoring of the composer and Egyptian singer Amr Mostafa within the honorary awards, where the award was presented to him by the British singer Robbie Williams, before the result of the best film was announced, in which “Al-Zarfa”, “Siko Siko”, “Wedding of Fire” and “Hubal” competed, to end with the victory of the film “Siko Siko”, and the work team went up to the coronation platform.
The ceremony concluded with the artistic segment "Ya Sham" which evoked famous works and themes that the audience interacted with, before the presenters bid farewell to the audience at the end of an exceptional broadcast that confirmed once again the presence of JOY AWARDS as one of the largest honoring and entertainment festivals in the region, within the activities of the Riyadh season, and on a night that brought art together with live performances and results that the audience made part of its path through voting.
