Sharjah Museum Authority wins award at LCD Berlin

Dubbed the 'Oscars for Museums', the organisation won a prize for its Sawa Museums Academy programme

Manal Ataya, centre, holds an LCD Berlin award after the Sharjah Museums Authority won for Best Cultural Collaboration. Courtesy Wam
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The Sharjah Museums Authority has picked up an award at LCD Berlin. Dubbed the “Oscars for Museums,” the annual event honours and celebrates the world’s top cultural destinations.

With more than 50 cultural destinations from 26 countries taking part, this year’s event featured 18 awards in five categories including: Leading Culture Destinations of the Year, New Culture Destinations of the Year, Soft Power Destinations of the Year, Climate Smart Award and the Avis Travellers' Awards, as well as a new award, Best Cultural Initiative: Bridging Borders.

SMA won the prize for “Best Cultural Collaboration” in the Soft Power Destination of the Year Category for its innovative Sawa Museums Academy programme,  reported Wam.

"We are honoured to receive this award that recognises the commitment of SMA and our partners in Germany over the past few years to design and implement a programme that has a positive impact on future museum leaders to thrive in multicultural environments and prepares them to tackle global challenges," said Manal Ataya, the director general of Sharjah Museum Authority.

A joint initiative with the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, and the University of Applied Sciences Berlin, the Sawa programme helps students of museum studies and young museum professionals from the Mena region and Germany.

"This unique programme, which was launched in 2015, is dedicated to the exchange of ideas between young Arab and German professionals through hands-on experience in museology, and also to promote intercultural dialogue by allowing students to learn from and with each other," said Ataya.