Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Chairman of the General Sports Authority, and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Noaimi, the Minister of Information, attended the closing ceremony of the 16th session of the Gulf Radio and Television Festival. Majri Mubarak Al Qahtani, the Director-General of the Gulf Radio and Television Organistion (GRTO), was present. The Minister highlighted Bahrain's progress in media, arts, and culture under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He noted that this year's session includes the launch of the first edition of Al Dana Drama Award, under the patronage of HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad. The Minister congratulated the Bahraini and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) winners, and praised the festival's succ ess, which saw a wide participation and presence of celebrities from Gulf and Arab countries. At the ceremony's outset, the Minister honoured Dr. Ali bin Mohammed Al Rumaihi, the former Minister of Information, and Dr. Abdulrahman Mohammed Bahar, the former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, in appreciation for their efforts in organising and advancing the festival in its previous sessions. Eighteen nominees from member states and members of the judging committee were honoured. The ceremony featured a folklore segment, traditional music, and a performance by Khalifa Al Jumairi. Then, the heads of GCC countries' delegations honoured the winners of the Sail awards in their gold and silver divisions for the radio and television categories of organisations, members, the private sector, short films, and digital media. Bahrain won 13 awards. This year's festival witnessed the largest participation in its history, with 360 radio, television, digital, and advertising works produced, alongside 70 dram atic television works from Gulf and Arab countries. Source: Bahrain News Agency