Third Annual 8 AM Awards Held in Melbourne, Australia

The third annual 8 AM Awards ceremony was held in Melbourne, Australia, honoring individuals whose contributions have significantly shaped Afghanistan’s arts, culture, human rights, and innovation.

The third annual 8 AM Awards ceremony took place in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, December 7, recognizing Afghanistan’s individuals and ideas that have played a transformative role in promoting awareness, freedom, culture, and artistic expression. The newspaper 8 AM described the awards as a new tradition to celebrate those who “keep the light shining” in Afghanistan.

Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, and human rights activist Azada Raz Mohammad received the Human Rights “Sima Samar” award. The Writing “Rahnaward Zaryab” award went to Bahar Zahir Shah, while the Malika Suraya Innovation Award honored Professor Jackie True and Dr. Farkhunda Akbari.

Other notable recipients included Wahidullah Waisi, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia, who received the Diplomacy “Musa Shafiq” award; poet Nader Ahmadi, awarded the Poetry “Wasif Bakhtari” prize; and historian Nematullah Bizhan, recognized for History Research “Faiz Muhammad Katib.” Enlightenment awards were presented to researchers Abbas Frasso and Nematullah Ebrahimi.

Pamela Rajkowski received the History “Ghulam Muhammad Ghobar” award; Fahim Hashimi and David Siwick were recognized with the Resilience “Rabia Balkhi” award; and Mahbuba Rawi received the “Nakamura Services” award. In the arts, Catherine Ray and Mursal Azizi were honored with the “Kamaluddin Behzad” award, while Julian Hoff and Mozaffar Ali received the Cinema and Theatre “Abdul Qayum Behzad” award.

The Innovation “Abdul Majid Zabli” award went to Saviz Savizyar and Bari Samadi, the Education “Goharshad Begum” award to Irfanullah Abedi, and the Sports “Rohullah Nikpa” award to Afghanistan’s women’s football and cricket teams. Zia Sahil received the Music “Farhad Darya” award.

The 8 AM Awards aim to celebrate intellectual, cultural, and artistic achievements in Afghanistan, highlighting contributions that illuminate the country’s past, inspire the present, and shape its future.

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