[Entry crossposted at eldahshan.com and at travellerwithin.com – hoping to consolidate both into one website. Promise! Apologies if that has caused any confusion to new readers.]

I was already ecstatic when I received an email informing me I was shortlisted for an Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean journalism award. Such an honour!

As I saw the competition however, I simultaneously grumbled and sighed (as well as had googley eyes and frowned at the same time. Yes, multitasking facial expressions is a gift). Among such impressive company, my chances were slim at best.

So I just went with the motions and went ahead toMonaco– the visit itself shall be a different post – and tried to enjoy my 40-hour visit to the city-state. (and I did).

The ceremony was held this week at the Oceanographic museum, home to the world-famousMonacoaquarium and its mini-sharks. Seriously, mini – no bigger than a large bottle of water. Cute sharks. Who’d have thought. Nature has a funny sense of humour.

Anyway. Though originally running in the “Citizenship and Democracy” category with a selection of articles written during and after the revolution, I was actually awarded a Honorary prize by the Jury, alongside Palestinian blogger Asmaa El Ghoul, for our writing both online and offline.

Which is, well, pretty damn awesome. Very, very happy here!

(For some obscure reason, the AFP journalist which many others copied decided I was a “face of the Arab Spring” – an epithet whose ridicule is only match by my dislike to the expression “Arab Spring”. I never claimed I was. Nor did I say a word of the first 15 lines, which they copied off my blog and pretended I said it during the interview).

Other winners, in the press, television, and radio categories are:

Iason Athanasiadis (Greece) : “Revolution Game Over?” – Al-Majalla Online Newspaper

Abdel Aziz Hali (Tunisia) : « Il était une fois deux révolutions » – Le Temps

Rachel Shabi (UK) : “We were looking for a nice, peaceful place near Jerusalem” – The Guardian

Mekioussa Chekir (Algeria) : « La tolérance à l’épreuve de l’unanimisme religieux » – La Tribune

TV: Nada Abdelsamad (Lebanon) : “The Jews of Lebanon” – BBC Arabic

Radio: Andrei Popov, Valentina Dumitrescu, Ileana Taroi (Romania)  «Quand Romeo rencontre Juliette» – Société Roumaine de Radiodiffusion

Select media coverage :

 TV5 : Deux bloggeurs arabes récompensés par le Prix méditerranéen du journalisme

Monte-Carlo News: Monaco ha accolto la cerimonia del Prix Méditerranéen du Journalisme 2011

AFP : مدونان عربيان يفوزان بجائزة المتوسط للصحافة