Outstanding women in Bahrain to be awarded for exceptional talent

The 59 women finalists with officials

By Habib Toumi

MANAMA: A new tribute will made to outstanding women in Bahrain as people in the Gulf country, both nationals and foreigners, will be able to vote for the 2024 Woman of the Year Awards.

The Woman of the Year Awards, by Woman This Month magazine, honor the achievements and contributions of women in Bahrain in five main categories with four sub-categories under each.

The honorees will be prominent achievers, from industry leaders to rising stars in business, art, science, healthcare, social good and many more.

The five categories are Engineering and Technical, Business and Financial, Artistic and Creative, Health, Hospitality, Education & Social, and Lifestyle and Media.

During a special ceremony, organizers unveiled the 59 finalists who have made it to the short list prepared by five judges (four women and one man) for the top prizes in 18 award segments across the five categories.

The finalists are a mixture of local Bahrainis and foreigners living in Bahrain who fulfilled criteria that included a degree of innovation and broader impact on industry, technology, society, or culture, technical skills and expertise, a mastery of skills and expertise in their respective field, leadership, collaboration, and mentoring efforts, as well as professional recognition, awards, and contributions to industry or society.

The public will vote throughout October and the awards will be presented on December 2 when Bahrain celebrates its annual Bahraini Women’s Day.

In 2008, Bahrain’s First Lady and Supreme Council for Women Chairwoman Princess Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa said that December 1 would be celebrated annually as Bahraini Women’s Day.

The day commemorates the achievements and creative contribution made by women to development and progress  and highlights the important role of women in public life.

The laureates in Engineering and Technical will be Women in architecture, construction & real estate, women in aviation (pilots, administrators, engineers …), women in industry (manufacturing, production, oil & gas, alternative energy), and women in science, technology, engineering & mathematics.

The Business and Financial category covers women in banking & finance (including Fintech), women in business, women in innovation (trend-setters, entrepreneurs, trail-blazers, startups), and women in national service (military, fire service, police).

In the Artistic and Creative, the winners are women in art & design (fine artists and designers), women in fashion (models, designers & retail), women in jewelry (boutique owners & designers), and women in entertainment (dancers, singers, musicians & DJs).

Awards in Health, Hospitality, Education & Social include women in health (doctors, dentists, nurses & admins), women in hospitality (hotel GMs, chefs, HRs, housekeeping, …), women in education (primary/early education; secondary & university/vocational), and women in philanthropy (charity & welfare).

The Lifestyle and Media awards cover women in beauty (cosmetic models, makeup artists & aestheticians), women in media (tv hosts, writers, broadcasters, influencers, bloggers), women in motoring (drivers, managers, mechanics), and women in sport (athletes, gymnasts, sports management personnel).