Established in 2014 upon the initiative of Mr. Mu'taz Sawwaf to honor and perpetuate the legacy of the late Mahmoud Kahil who is one of the leading cartoonists and caricaturists of the Arab World, and a former AUB graduate, The
Mahmoud Kahil Award is an award program under the Mu'taz and Rada Sawwaf Arabic Comics Initiative at the American University of Beirut that aims to promote comics, editorial cartoons and illustration in the Arab world through the recognition of the rich talent and creative achievement of comics artists, cartoonists and illustrators from the region.The award ceremony was celebrated at Biel in Beirut on January 28 2016, and the list of awards was classified as below:
Editorial Cartoons: won by Amjad Rasmi from Jordan
Graphic Novel: THE APARTMENT AT BAB EL LOUK, won by Ahmad Nady (artist), Donia Maher (author), and Ganzeer (designer) from Egypt
Comics Strips: THE SAD HANDSOME MYSTERIOUS MAN, won by Mohamad Almu'ti, aka Flyin' Dutchman, from Jordan
Graphic Illustration: won by Bahij Jaroudi from Lebanon
Children's Book Illustration: MY MOTHER LOVES FATTOUCH, won by Azza Hussein from Lebanon
Honorary awards were handed too and were listed as below:
Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame: won by Lujaina Alassil from Syria
Comics Guardian Award: handed to TOK TOK Magazine, founded by Shennawy, Makhlouf, Andeel, Hicham Rahma and Tawfiq from Egypt