Five winners announced for the inaugural TikTok Creator Hub Awards

The TikTok Mena Creator Hub aims to nurture the next generation of creators

The five winners, from left, Anfal Saheb, Deema Naser, Aya Shiha, Rabih Takkoush and Kareem Abdel Samad. Supplied Image

TikTok announced the five winners of the inaugural TikTok Mena Creator Hub program in the UAE during an awards ceremony held last night at The Farm in Al Barari, Dubai. The initiative aims to identify talents and connect them with the right mentors to help build their skills to support and nurture the next generation of creators, all while raising awareness around causes and issues that affect the community.

This year's edition addressed the issue of climate change, coinciding with the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (Cop27) in Egypt and the conversation around energy transition. The theme for this year's TikTok Mena Creator Hub also aligns with TikTok’s global launch of the #ClimateAction programme in support of Cop27, which encourages the community to join the climate conversation and take action that has a positive impact on the planet.

During the ceremony, TikTok announced the five winners which were selected by a panel of judges including top TikTok content creators Khalid Al Ameri, Jessica Kahawaty and Maha Jaafar. The winners of this year’s program were Anfal Saheb, Aya Shiha, Deema Naser, Kareem Abdel Samad and Rabih Takkoush - who were selected for their creative ability to raise awareness of this year's theme of climate change through an informative TikTok video.

The goal of TikTok Mena Creator Hub was to identify talents and connect them with the right mentors and skill building experts to provide them with the required learnings to elevate their content and provide advice for their career path as creators. This year, the programme was divided into three main phases which included online learning modules for creators, a live training panel session with Khalid Al Ameri and finally the judging process to name the winners of the programme.

On this occasion, Tarek Abdalla, Regional General Manager at TikTok Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Pakistan & South Asia said: "Congratulations to all the outstanding submissions and winners of the programme. Through the first edition of TikTok Mena Creator Hub, we aimed to inspire talents to unlock their creativity and drive positive change, but the truth is they have truly inspired us with their uplifting content and dedication to their craft. Through each coming edition of the Creator Hub program, we hope to empower communities and amplify creators’ voices in the region and around the world to create content that drives positive, meaningful, and lasting change as we continue to support the region’s booming creative economy."

The TikTok Mena Creator Hub received remarkable submissions from the next generation of creators and succeeded in spreading awareness around climate action, thereby educating and inspiring the community around the most important societal issues of our time.

Every year, the TikTok Mena Creator Hub programme will draw up a chosen theme for creators to produce a creative content idea around a specific topic and provide creators with the knowledge needed to inspire and guide them for their professional careers as content creators.

Watch the five winning creator submissions here:

Anfal Saheb

Aya Shiha

Deema Naser

Kareem Abdel Samad

Rabih Takkoush