Arab Personality of the Year 2026: The Five Nominees in the Social and Public Work Category

The independent judging panel of the Arab Personality of the Year Award 2026 (APYA) has announced the shortlist of nominees in the “Social and Public Work” category, which included five Arab figures residing in the United Kingdom, following a comprehensive evaluation process that covered 51 completed applications out of 80 nominations received by the award in this category.

This announcement comes as a continuation of the panel’s unveiling, on Saturday, 14 November, of the overall shortlist for the award, which includes 20 nominees distributed across four main categories, who were selected after screening and evaluating 103 completed applications out of 575 nominations received by the award during the current year’s cycle. With the opening of public voting, these lines shed light on the nature of the category, the judging criteria, and the biographies of the five nominees competing for its title.

The Essence of the Category and Its Community Importance

The “Social and Public Work” category aims to honour initiatives and achievements that place community service and the public interest at the core of their priorities, whether through institutional, voluntary, developmental, or humanitarian work, provided that it creates a tangible and sustainable impact. The category opens its doors to leaders of programmes and institutions with a community dimension, locally or internationally, on the condition that the nominee resides in Britain.

Community work holds exceptional importance for the Arab community in the United Kingdom, as the fundamental pillar for building institutions and amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, in addition to its vital role in building bridges of communication and cooperation with the various components of British society.

Details can be viewed via the award categories and evaluation criteria page, and by reading the article on the formation of the Arab Personality of the Year Award 2026 judging panel.

Judging Mechanism and Approved Criteria

The category witnessed wide competition; 51 out of 80 nominees completed their applications by answering three core questions addressing the scale of the achievement, its impact, and guarantees of its continuity. Seven independent judges undertook the reading and evaluation of each application in complete confidentiality without any member seeing their colleagues’ scores, so that the average scores could be calculated and the holders of the highest five averages qualified for the shortlist.

In its evaluation, the panel relied on five main criteria, each assigned a specific weight:

• Impact in non-Arab circles: The extent of success in influencing within British and non-Arab circles to serve Arab causes.
• Impact on the Arab community in Britain: Contributing to serving the causes of the Arab community and preserving its identity and heritage.
• Sustainability and continuity of impact: The ability of the initiative or project to continue and achieve long-term results.
• Leadership and inspiration: The nominee’s leadership role and ability to inspire others and motivate teamwork.
• Innovation: Presenting innovative solutions and ideas in community projects and initiatives.

To get to know the members of the panel: Arab Personality of the Year Award 2026 Judging Panel.

The Five Nominees on the Shortlist

The shortlist for the Social and Public Work category includes five prominent figures (arranged alphabetically according to their names in English, and the order does not reflect the judging results):

• Dr Basma Taysir El Doukhi: A humanitarian activist with 15 years of experience, holding the position of Community Resilience Project Manager at the British Red Cross. Her efforts focus on representing refugees, migrants, and Arabs, and conveying their voices and causes to British institutions.

• Marwan Bakkely: Led the transformation of the “Halesowen and Dudley Yemeni Community Association” from a mere voluntary initiative into an active community institution, and his period of leadership also witnessed the opening of the “Halesowen Cultural Centre” in 2018. Today, the association provides its services to more than 3,000 families.

• Dr Mohammad Alhadj Ali: Elected in 2025 as Chair of the Welsh Refugee Council. He dedicates his efforts to defending the rights of refugees and migrants in Wales and combating racism, alongside serving as an ambassador for the British Society for Immunology.

• Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan: Co-founder and Chair of the organisation «Health Workers 4 Palestine». Since November 2023, he has led the organisation’s campaigns in the fields of advocacy, legal action, and fundraising, which included organising an event that succeeded in raising more than £300,000.

• Sara El-Awaisi: Co-founder of the «Educators for Peace» movement in Scotland, a voluntary network dedicated to peace education that includes more than 300 teachers in its membership.

Public Voting Mechanism and Award Ceremony

The public voting process launched on Sunday, 15 November 2026, at 6:00 PM, and continues until Thursday, 10 December 2026, at 6:00 PM UK time, via the award’s dedicated voting page.

Voting is free and open to everyone; the voter is asked to review the lists of nominees and choose one nominee in each of the four categories, then confirm their vote via email or the “WhatsApp” application, noting that each person is entitled to cast only one vote. The final result is decided based on a formula that combines the judging panel’s evaluation at 60%, and the public vote at 40%.

It is scheduled that the names of the winners will be revealed and officially honoured during the Arab Personality of the Year Award Ceremony for 2026, held as part of the events of the “Fourth Annual Gathering of Arabs in Britain”, on Saturday, 19 December 2026, starting from 5:00 PM at the “Hilton London Metropole” hotel. The ceremony will combine honouring Arab achievements, community gathering, artistic segments, and humanitarian work, amidst a notable presence of guests of honour and prominent figures in the fields of community, media, and the business sector.