Sunday 18/January/2026 – 03:50 AM
The sixth edition of the Entertainment Makers Awards (JOY AWARDS) 2026 was held in the evening in the capital, Riyadh, under the umbrella of Riyadh season Organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) in strategic partnership with MBC, in the presence of Counselor Turki bin Abdul Mohsen 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 the MBC 1, MBC Egypt, MBC Iraq and MBC 5 channels, in addition to the MBC Shahid platform, where viewers watched the arrival of the stars and the atmosphere of the lavender carpet, then the moments of honor and announcement of the results, in addition to live musical and show performances that formed an integrated artistic painting that extended throughout the evening.
The night opened with the arrival of artists and celebrities to the ceremony site amid a remarkable festive atmosphere, accompanied by a wide media presence and great interaction with the moments of arrival and the first appearance of the stars, before the arrival of Chancellor Turki Al-Sheikh, where his presence represented a major milestone at the beginning of the evening, in preparation for the launch of the official ceremony program.
After that, the Saudi Royal Anthem was played, and then the evening moved towards the opening entertainment show, in which the international singer “Katy Perry” participated in a distinctive 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 a remarkable theatrical presence, which reflected the magnitude of the production and the accuracy of the preparation for this night.
The artistic performances continued with a performance interlude by the “Pelopoulos” team, through a show of dancing shadows that presented innovative and light-hearted visual scenes, redirecting the attention of the audience towards the stage in a different interactive style, before the awards were launched successively according to the program, amid clear anticipation from the audience and the media for the stages of announcing the winners and honors.
With the start of the awards competitions, Razan Gamal and Menna Shalabi presented the segment for presenting the Best Actor Award in the series category, which was competed for by Abdul Rahman bin Nafi for “Al-A’sha Street,” Abdul Mohsen Al-Nimr for “Al-Marsa,” Moatasem Al-Nahar for “Nafas,” and Hisham Majed for “Very Flat Works,” before the result was announced and the award was crowned by the artist Abdul Mohsen Al-Nimr.
Tuba Büyüküstün and Halit Ergenç presented the award for the best Levantine series, which witnessed a competition between “Captive,” “Bil Blood,” “Under the Seventh Land,” and “Salma,” before the “Salma” series won, and the crew received the award.
After that, the ceremony witnessed a special moment of honor within the Lifetime Achievement Award, where His Excellency Counselor Turki Al-Sheikh honored the visual artist and former Egyptian Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, on stage, in appreciation of his long career and outstanding contributions, in one of the most prominent moments of the evening, where His Excellency the Counselor indicated that the award honors the artist Farouk Hosni. For his part, Farouk expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom and its leadership, and to His Excellency the Counselor for the honor, which he cherishes and greatly appreciates.
In the award for the best new face in the series category, Mai Omar and Mohamed Sami presented the award’s segment, which included among its nominees Taraf Al-Obaidi for the series “My Mother,” Russell 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 “Al-A’sha Street,” before the result was announced and Taraf Al-Obaidi was crowned with the award.
The artistic performances returned to the showcase through a large singing segment presented by the artist Angham with the participation of the Polish guitarist “Marcin”, as part of a live performance on the stage with which the audience interacted, before the awards were completed by Mohamed Henedy presenting the award for the best Gulf series, which was competed for by the works of “Al Marsa”, “My Mother”, “Al Aasha Street” and “Summer 99”, and ended with the series “Al Aasha Street” winning, and the staff receiving the award.
The results continued with the award for best actress in the series category, presented by Barış Ardoç and Handi 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 “Al-A’sha Street,” Amina Khalil for the role she presented in the series “Lam Shamsia,” and Karis Bashar for her distinguished role in the series “Under the Seventh Land,” ending with Karis Bashar winning the award.
In the category of Best Egyptian Series, Lee Byung Hun and Lee Jong Jae presented the award, for which the works “Shsh”, “Very Flat Works”, “Aisha Al-Dour” and “Lam Shamsia” competed, before the series “Very Flat Works” won, and the actors of the work received the award.
The ceremony witnessed a prominent honoring station within the “Diamond Entertainment Creators Award”, where His Excellency Counselor Turki Al Sheikh honored His Excellency Mr. Nasser bin Ghanem Al-Khulaifi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BeIn Media Group, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Sports Investments Company (QSI), as he received the award in recognition of his influential role in the sports entertainment and media industry at the international level.
This moment came amid wide interaction from the audience, constituting one of the most prominent and symbolic moments of the evening, as it is one of the prestigious honorary awards that celebrates leaders who have left their mark in this field.
After honoring Al-Khelaifi, the ceremony moved to a special musical segment presented by musician Jude Coffey on stage, through a live performance on the grand piano that included short musical pieces, including “Radinak,” adding this moment to a quiet artistic dimension within the evening’s sequence before completing the following awards segments.
In terms of sports awards, Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez and Egyptian actress Nelly Karim presented the Best Athlete Award, which included football players Salem Al-Dosari, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, and Yassin Bono, before the award was given to Yassin Bono, and it was received on behalf of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Mustafa Al-Mansouri. They also presented the Best Athlete Award, which included Donia Abu Talib in taekwondo, and Valerie Tarazi in swimming, Laila Al-Qahtani in football, and Haniya Minhas in tennis, which ended with Saudi athlete Laila Al-Qahtani winning.
In the music category, Syrian actress Nour Ali and Syrian actor Taim Hassan presented the Best Artist award, which Al-Shami, Sultan Al-Murshed, Ayed, and Fadel Shaker competed for, and ended with Fadel Shaker winning, on whose behalf Ziad Hamza received the award. After that, Marwan Khoury presented the award for the best new face in music, which included Hamza, Luna Karam, Muhammad Fadl Shaker, and Yazid Fahd, and Muhammad Fadl Shaker won.
The atmosphere of the evening continued with a remarkable singing segment that brought together the international star Robbie Williams and the artist Ayed. Robbie Williams presented a group of his most famous works, including “Feel,” while Ayed performed the song “Imagine If” amid great interaction from the audience, before they met in a distinctive duet of the song “Angels,” which constituted one of the most prominent and interactive moments of the concert.
Katy Perry came forward to present the award for best artist, which was competed for by Asala, Angham, Bisan Ismail, and Nancy Ajram, before the result was announced and Angham crowned the award, adding a new stage to her presence in a night that combined live performance and honoring.
As for the Best Song Award, Amr Youssef and Hana El Zahed presented the special paragraph for the award, which competed for “Apologise Wajek” by Ayed, “Husseini”, “Too Let”, “Doctor” by Al Shami, and “Sahak Al Shawq” by Fadel Shaker, ending with “Sahak Al Shawq” as a work of art winning the Best Song Award, and the award was received on his behalf by Muhammad Zaki Hassanein, who conveyed the artist Fadel Shaker’s desire to keep the award with His Excellency Counselor Turki Al Sheikh until he receives it from His Excellency. Personally.
In the influencer category, Ahmed Al-Qahtani (Chung Bong) and Maryam Nasser presented the Best Influencer Award, which was competed for by Abu Khalil (Ibrahim Al-Omari), Osama Marwa, Aziz bin Muhammad, and Mujrim Qamiz (Rayyan Al-Ahmari), before Rayan Al-Ahmari won. They also presented the Best Influencer Award, which included Israa Nabil, Ayati, Rateel Al-Shehri, and Sherine Amara, and ended with Rateel Al-Shehri winning.
The evening also witnessed a remarkable honorary station within the honorary awards process, where the Saudi Saleh Al-Arrayed was awarded the “Honorary Entertainment Makers Award”, and he received it 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 moments of honor continued with the honorary awards honoring the artist Asala, where the award was presented to her by Amina Khalil and Shah Rukh Khan 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 firm presence in the memory of the Arab public.
After that, the evening took a poignant emotional turn with the segment “In Memoriam,” which was presented by the artist Abeer Nehme in her voice, in an emotional musical performance that evoked the meanings of loyalty and gratitude to the memory of those who departed from the artistic scene in 2025 AD, and celebrated the artistic and human memory that remains present in the conscience of the audience, before the following segments of the concert were completed.
After that, Alexander Ludwig and Sulafa Memaar presented the award for Best Film Director, which was competed for by Sarah Wafiq for the movie “Restart,” Abdulaziz Al-Shalahi for the movie “Hoopal,” Omar Al-Muhandis for the movie “Siko Siko,” and Abdullah Majed for the movie “Al-Zarfa,” and it ended with Omar Al-Muhandis winning.
Then came the “Person of the Year” honor station, which was presented by Baraa Alam and Mayan Al-Sayed, and was awarded to the British star Millie Bobby Brown, known for her distinguished roles in a number of films and series, where she ascended to the stage to receive the award amidst great interaction from the audience, in a moment that reflected the global dimension of the ceremony and the scale of international participation within the sixth edition of JOY AWARDS.
In the television directing category, Alfie Allen and Nour Al-Ghandour presented the award for best series director, which was competed for by Ahmed Katiksiz, Gul Saraltun, Jawdat Marjan, Sarhan Shaheen, Khaled Diab, and Rasha Sharbatji, ending with Ahmed Katiksiz and Gul Saraltun winning for “Al-Asha Street.”
The honorary awards continued with the awarding of the Lifetime Achievement Award to international star Forest Whitaker, as part of a special segment presented by Carmen Bsaibes and Youssef El Sharif, which constituted one of the prominent honoring stations of the evening. After that, the ceremony moved to a joint singing segment that brought together the El Divo band and singer Liz Mitchell, in a rich musical show that enhanced the beauty of the evening, before the concert segments continued with an important cinematic segment within the competition awards.
As for the Best Film Actor Award, Heather Graham and Bassem Youssef presented the special section for the award, which was competed for by Ahmed Malek for his role in the movie “6 Days,” Bashar Al Shatti for his role in the movie “Wahsh Hawalli,” Majed Al-Kedwany for his distinguished role in the movie “Fiha Eh Means,” and Mohamed Shayef for his role in the movie “Al-Zarfa,” before Majed Al-Kedwany won the award.
After that, the Kuwaiti director Ahmed Al-Dougji was honored with honorary awards and the award was presented to him by the American actor Jeremy Piven, in the presence of: Rotana CEO Salem Al-Hindi and the artist Mohamed Abdo on stage. Then Oscar Isaac and Hoda Al-Mufti presented the award for best film actress, which was competed by Aya Samaha for her role in the movie “6 Days,” Donia Samir Ghanem for her role in the movie “Rocky the Fool,” and Shajoon for her role in the movie “Wedding.” Fire,” and here Al-Zahid for her role in the movie “Restart,” ending with Shajoun Al-Kuwaiti winning, with producer Saud Al-Mudhaf receiving the award on her behalf.
The closing moments witnessed honoring the Egyptian composer and singer Amr Mostafa with 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, which competed for “Al-Zarfa”, “Siko Seko”, “Fire Wedding” and “Hoopal”, ending with the victory of the film “Siko Seko”, and the work team ascending to the podium.
The ceremony concluded with the “Ya Sham” artistic segment, which evoked famous works and themes that the audience interacted with, before the broadcasters bid farewell to the audience at the conclusion of an exceptional broadcast that once again confirmed the presence of JOY AWARDS as one of the largest honor and entertainment festivals in the region, within the activities of the Riyadh Season, and in a night that combined art with live performances and results in which the audience made part of its course through voting.
