Sadeem launches largest digital competition in Arab World
The biggest digital competition and series in the Arab world, ‘Sadeem’ is now live.
Sadeem’s audience will get to watch their 20 contestants from across the region go from zero to hero, through an exciting online reality series that will culminate in the crowning of the Arab world’s next digital super star. The contestants were chosen from the 18,000 who applied to Sadeem from across the Arab world and beyond.
Targeted at “Generation Z”, Arabs aged between 15 and 25, Sadeem aims to create a network of young content creators from the Arab world who can realize their potential and achieve their dreams, while spreading a message of hope and positivity across their countries. Inspired by the competition’s panel of judges featuring Egypt’s rising motivational speaker Kareem Esmail, Algeria’s popular online satirist Youcef Zarouta, and Kuwait’s influential fashion blogger Ascia Al Faraj, contestants have the chance to build on their digital presence learning a lot from the judges’ special digital experiences.
The two star hosts of the series are Jordanian actress and YouTube celebrity Tima Shomali, and Lebanon’s king of velfies Issam Merheb.
Commenting on the start of Sadeem’s new phase, Ascia Al Faraj said,
“I‘m excited that this game-changing digital series is finally starting! We‘ve had spectacular applications from across the Arab world. Judging by the quality of applicants, the future of Arab content is in good hands“
Kareem Esmail said,
“Arab youth are adopting to changing times. Technological advances are giving young people the opportunity to realise their dreams. Sadeem is offering a perfect opportunity for the Arab youths to showcase their prowess to the global audience.“
Sadeem’s top 20 Contestants will now lock horns in a series of challenges designed to develop their content creation skills, their ability to engage with their audience across multiple platforms and create compelling branded content. The grand finale will be held on May 12th 2018 to announce Sadeem’s winner.
The show is supported by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, Talabat, Qatar Airways and Demco Properties.
Sadeem is published exclusively on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram via @officialsadeem. Episodes are available every night from 9pm KSA.
Since registrations opened in December, the number of submissions by aspiring social media content creators to ‘Sadeem’, the Arab world’s biggest digital competition and series, has exceeded 18,000 applications, with applications coming from across the Arab world, and as far as the Solomon Islands.
The applicants are competing for a spot in the first-of-its-kind competition and a chance to take part in Sadeem’s exciting journey of discovery, creativity and digital growth that will culminate in the crowning of the Arab region’s next digital superstar. Applicants were asked to produce a unique and compelling introductory video, and submit through sadeem.com.
More than 18,000 submissions to Sadeem herald a successful beginning to the digital competition (PRNewsfoto/Sadeem)
The second phase of the competition will see an all-star panel of judges sifting through the thousands of submissions received and filtering them down to the hundred most promising personalities, among which will be the future contestants in the following and most exciting phases of the competition.
“The number of submissions we have received to date is truly mind-blowing, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Although it is demanding all our time and attention, we are thrilled to be going through applicants‘ introductory videos, as we pinpoint aspiring social media content creators who have what it takes to be the Arab region‘s next digital superstar. This is truly exciting, and I personally cannot wait to see the final lineup of Sadeem‘s future contestants,“ Sadeem Judge and Kuwait‘s influential fashion blogger Ascia Al Faraj said.
Equally inspired by the applications received to date, Algeria’s popular online satirist and Sadeem Judge Youcef Zarouta is still looking forward to the videos yet to be submitted.
“The current phase of Sadeem marks the beginning of this awe-inspiring journey for our applicants, and it‘s exciting to think that the one who‘ll be crowned as Sadeem‘s first winner might still be out there preparing their participation in the competition,” Youcef noted.
Along with Youcef and Ascia, Sadeem’s prominent jury brings Kuwait’s digital sensation Shuaib Rashed and Egypt’srising motivational speaker and content creator Kareem Esmail to the all-star panel.
Together, the four judges will pick the top 100 applications received during the registration phase, before whittling them down to 20 contestants in a series of follow up interviews and deep vetting of their online personas.
The chosen 20 contestants will then meet to undergo a challenging bootcamp supervised by the Judges, aiming to test the contestants on a wide range of skills and competencies. This two-week period will allow the judges to pick their favorite nine contestants that will make it to the Sadeem Hub – the main phase of the competition – before three contestants advance to the final round, where they showcase all the skills they’ve learned throughout their journey.
To follow the show in real-time, and watch their favorite contestants go from ‘Zero to Hero’, viewers from across the Arab world can tune in to Sadeem’s daily and weekly episodes that will be broadcasted on Social platforms. The show will be hosted by Tima Shomali, Jordan’s Youtube celebrity and Lebanon’s king of velfies Issam Merheb.
The competition will culminate in a Live Finale, broadcasted on Digital platforms, where Sadeem’s winner will be crowned and win 1 Million Riyals in addition to a trip to the headquarters of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram in San Francisco.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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