ABU DHABI — Nominees from Saudi Arabia dominated several award categories at the first Middle East edition of the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, organized by Viacom and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

Saudi talents were nominated for nine out of 16 award categories including Favorite Radio Station, Sports Star, Gamer, Influencer, TV Personality, Male Newcomer, Vlogger, Actress, and Actor.

The nominees include influencer Ibrahim Basha, vloggers Thunayan Khaled and the Fayhan Family, TV presenter Qusai (also known as Don Legend), and athlete Raha Moharrak.

Three Saudi gaming channels dominated the Favorite Gamer category: Fir4sGamer, NeroGamer55, and iiklay, while Al Arabiya was nominated for Favorite Radio Station.

Amongst the Saudi celebrities nominated for the awards were singer and actress Aseel Omran for Favorite Actress and actor Asad Al Zahrani for Favorite Actor, while rising singer Abdulaziz Rabea Al Dulayjan (known as DYL3R) was nominated for Favorite Male Newcomer.

Voting for the awards is open to all fans via Nickelodeon’s online portal, and nominees are set to be announced this week. The historical event is the result of a five-year agreement signed between DCT- Abu Dhabi and global broadcaster Viacom, the owner of Nickelodeon.

Saeed Al-Saeed, destination marketing director at DCT – Abu Dhabi, said: “We look forward to a week of world-class entertainment for the whole family here in Abu Dhabi, concluding with the world-famous Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. We are very excited to be welcoming all the nominees from the Middle East and beyond and we hope that this event will provide our residents and visitors with an unforgettable experience.”

The hosting of the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2019 reflects Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a global entertainment hub and promoting itself as a premium destination for the family.

Today, the city boasts a growing portfolio of family-friendly attractions and events including Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. The World of Nickelodeon and the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards are the latest global attractions to be added to that portfolio in 2019. — SG