The entertainment creators’ awards (JOY AWARDS) 2026 ceremony was held last night (Saturday) in its sixth edition in the capital, Riyadh, under the umbrella of Riyadh Season and organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), in the presence of His Excellency Advisor Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of the General Entertainment Authority, in an exceptional night that gathered stars of art, cinema, drama, music, sports, and influencers from the Arab world and beyond, amid wide media and public attendance.

The evening began with the arrival of artists and celebrities at the venue, amid a remarkable celebratory atmosphere, accompanied by wide media coverage and great interaction with the moments of arrival and first appearances of the stars, before the arrival of His Excellency Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, whose presence represented a main milestone at the start of the evening, paving the way for the official ceremony program to begin.

After that, the Saudi Royal Anthem was performed, and the evening moved towards the opening entertainment segment in which international singer Katy Perry participated in a distinguished introductory segment that formed a unique visual experience, combining orchestra elements, dancers, and special effects, in a complete artistic tableau relying on dynamic lighting, visual effects, and a striking stage presence, reflecting the grandeur of production and precision of preparation for this night.

The artistic performances continued with a showcase break by the “Bilopolous” team through a shadow dance presentation offering innovative visual scenes and light rhythms, redirecting the audience’s attention to the stage in a different interactive style, before the awards began sequentially according to the program, amid clear anticipation from the audience and media for the announcement stages of winners and honors.

With the start of the award competitions, Razan Jamal and Menna Shalaby presented the segment for awarding Best Actor in the series category, which included nominees Abdulrahman bin Nafea for “Shar’ Al-A’sha”, Abdulmohsen Al-Nemr for “Al-Marsa”, Moatasem Al-Nahar for “Nafas”, and Hisham Majid for “Ashghal Shaqqa Jiddan”, before the result was announced and the award was given to Abdulmohsen Al-Nemr.

Tuba Büyüküstün and Halit Ergenç presented the Best Levantine Series award, which witnessed competition between “Asr”, “Beldam”, “Taht Saabi’ Ard”, and “Salma”, with the series “Salma” winning, and the cast received the award.

Following that, the ceremony included a special lifetime achievement award moment, where His Excellency Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh honored the visual artist and former Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni on stage, in appreciation of his long career and prominent contributions.

In the Best New Face in series category, the award went to Taref Al-Obaidi.

Artistic performances returned to the stage with a major musical segment presented by Angham, accompanied by Polish guitarist Marcin, in a live stage performance that engaged the audience, before the awards continued with Mohamed Henedy presenting the Best Gulf Series award, which included “Al-Marsa”, “Umi”, “Shar’ Al-A’sha”, and “Saif 99”, ending with “Shar’ Al-A’sha” winning, with the cast receiving the award.

The results continued with the Best Actress in series category, presented by Baris Arduç and Handi Erçel, after a competition including Al-Anoud Saud for “Umi”, Elham Ali for “Shar’ Al-A’sha”, Amina Khalil for her role in “Lam Shamsia”, and Kariss Bashar for her outstanding role in “Taht Saabi’ Ard”, with Kariss Bashar winning the award.

In the Best Egyptian Series category, Lee Byung-Hun and Lee Jong-Jae presented the award, which included the competing series “Ish Ish”, “Ashghal Shaqqa Jiddan”, “Aisha Al-Dawr”, and “Lam Shamsia”, with “Ashghal Shaqqa Jiddan” winning, and the cast received the award.

The ceremony included a prominent segment for the “Diamond Entertainment Creators” award, where His Excellency Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh honored Mr. Nasser bin Ghanem Al-Khelaifi, Chairman of BeIn Media Group and Chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), who received the award in recognition of his influential role in the international sports and entertainment industry.

Following Al-Khelaifi’s recognition, the ceremony moved to a special musical segment performed by pianist Jude Kofi on the grand piano, including short musical pieces such as “Radinak”, adding a calm artistic dimension to the evening before the continuation of the next award segments.

In the sports awards category, Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez and Egyptian actress Nelly Karim presented the Best Male Athlete award, which included footballers Salem Al-Dosari, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, and Yassin Bono, with the award going to Yassin Bono, received on his behalf by the Moroccan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Mustafa Al-Mansouri. They also presented the Best Female Athlete award, including Donia Abu Talib in Taekwondo, Valery Terzi in Swimming, Laila Al-Qahtani in Football, and Hania Minhass in Tennis, with Saudi athlete Laila Al-Qahtani winning.

In the music category, Syrian actress Noor Ali and Syrian actor Taim Hasan presented the Best Artist award, contested by Al-Shami, Sultan Al-Murshid, Ayedh, and Fadl Shaker, with Fadl Shaker winning, receiving the award on his behalf by Ziad Hamza.

Following that, Marwan Khoury presented the Best New Face in Music award, which included Hamza, Luna Karam, Mohammed Fadl Shaker, and Yazid Fahd, with Mohammed Fadl Shaker winning.

The evening continued with a remarkable musical segment featuring global star Robbie Williams and artist Ayedh, where Robbie Williams performed some of his famous songs including “Feel”, and Ayedh performed “Takhayyal Law”, before performing a duet of “Angels”, forming one of the ceremony’s most interactive highlights.

Katy Perry presented the Best Female Artist award, contested by Asala, Angham, Bisan Ismail, and Nancy Ajram, with Angham winning, adding another milestone to her night of live performance and recognition.

For the Best Song award, Amr Youssef and Hana Al-Zahid presented the award segment, with competing songs including “I’tathar Wajik” by Ayedh, “Husseini”, “Too Late”, “Doctor” by Al-Shami, and “Sahak Al-Shouq” by Fadl Shaker, with “Sahak Al-Shouq” winning, received on his behalf by Mohammed Zaki Hassanein, who expressed Fadl Shaker’s wish for the award to remain with His Excellency Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh until personally received.

In the influencers category, Ahmed Al-Qahtani (Shong Bong) and Mariam Nasser presented the Best Influencer award, contested by Abu Khalil (Ibrahim Al-Omari), Osama Marwa, Aziz bin Mohammed, and Majrim Games (Rayan Al-Ahmari), with Rayan Al-Ahmari winning. They also presented the Best Female Influencer award, including Israa Nabil, Ayati, Rateel Al-Shahri, and Sherine Amara, with Rateel Al-Shahri winning.

The evening also witnessed a prominent honorary award segment, granting Saudi artist Saleh Al-Areed the “Honorary Entertainment Creators” award, presented by Lama Abdulwahab and Yaqoub Al-Farhan, reflecting appreciation for his career and contributions.

The honorary awards continued with artist Asala receiving her award, presented by Amina Khalil and Shah Rukh Khan, in an extraordinary scene gathering Arab and international attendance, highlighting appreciation for her long-standing artistic career.

The evening took a moving turn with the “In Memoriam” segment performed by artist Abeer Naama, offering an emotional musical tribute honoring the memory of departed artists of 2025, celebrating artistic and human legacy present in the audience’s consciousness, before continuing with subsequent award segments.

Alexander Ludwig and Slaafah Memar presented the Best Film Director award, contested by Sara Wafik for “Restart”, Abdulaziz Al-Shalahi for “Hobal”, Omar Al-Mohandes for “Siko Siko”, and Abdullah Majid for “Al-Zurfa”, with Omar Al-Mohandes winning.

The “Personality of the Year” segment followed, presented by Bara Alam and Mayan Al-Sayed, awarding British star Millie Bobby Brown, known for her roles in several films and series, who ascended the stage to receive the award amid great audience interaction, reflecting the international dimension of the ceremony.

In TV directing, Alfie Allen and Noor Al-Ghandour presented the Best TV Director award, contested by Ahmed Kateksez, Ghol Saraltin, Jude Marjan, Sarhan Shaheen, Khaled Diab, and Rasha Sharbatji, ending with Ahmed Kateksez and Ghol Saraltin winning for “Shar’ Al-A’sha”.

The honorary awards continued with the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to global star Forest Whitaker, in a special segment by Carmen Bsaibes and Youssef Al-Sherif, marking one of the evening’s highlights.

The ceremony then moved to a joint musical segment featuring El Devo and singer Liz Mitchell, enhancing the evening’s artistic beauty, before continuing with an important cinematic award segment.

For Best Film Actor, Heather Graham and Basem Youssef presented the award, contested by Ahmed Malik for “6 Days”, Bashar Al-Shatti for “Wahsh Hawly”, Majid Al-Kadwani for “Feeha Eh Ya’ni”, and Mohammed Shaif for “Al-Zurfa”, with Majid Al-Kadwani winning.

Kuwaiti director Ahmed Al-Doghji was honored in the honorary awards segment, presented by American actor Jeremy Piven, in the presence of Rotana CEO Salem Al-Hindi and artist Mohamed Abdu on stage.

Oscar Isaac and Huda Al-Mufti presented the Best Film Actress award, contested by Aya Samaha for “6 Days”, Donia Samir Ghanem for “Roky Al-Ghalaba”, Shujon for “Ars Al-Nar”, and Hana Al-Zahid for “Restart”, with Shujon Al-Kuwaiti winning, received on her behalf by producer Saud Al-Mudhaf.

In the final moments, composer and singer Amr Mostafa was honored in the honorary awards, presented by British singer Robbie Williams, before announcing Best Film, contested by “Al-Zurfa”, “Siko Siko”, “Ars Al-Nar”, and “Hobal”, with Siko Siko winning, and the cast ascending the stage.

The ceremony concluded with the “Ya Sham” artistic segment, featuring famous works and themes that engaged the audience, before the hosts bid farewell in an exceptional broadcast, reaffirming JOY AWARDS as one of the largest recognition and entertainment festivals in the region, within Riyadh Season, in a night combining live performance and audience-driven results through voting.