Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag from Almost Impossible Agency won gold at the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2024
The 21st edition of the prestigious UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, took place on Saturday, 24th February 2024.
The online competition for the digital category witnessed 23 teams representing agencies, client-side creative teams, as well as freelancers. The Judging and Awards Ceremony followed on Wednesday, 28th February 2024, with Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag, representing Almost Impossible, winning Gold.
Nayan and Bihag will receive a full week’s delegate pass and an all-expense-paid trip to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition – part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in June 2024.
Jolanda Van Rooyen and Jean Pierre Deaibes from Publicis Middle East claimed the Silver, while Francesco Negri and Michelle Co from FP7 McCann took home the Bronze.
Additionally, this year introduced a new section for honorable mentions, recognizing the exceptional efforts of Faten AlMukhtar and Sevval Asena Celik from TikTok, and Anzan Nahas Mohammed and Kezia Shamil from Leo Burnett.
This year’s client brief was from Every Can Counts, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness about recycling aluminum drink cans. Participating teams were tasked with crafting an integrated digital campaign that communicates the significance of aluminum drink can recycling and inspires change in behaviour to boost recycling rates by utilizing creative storytelling and compelling messaging to resonate with the audience and drive action toward sustainability in the UAE.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Nidhi Sehgal, General Manager- Strategy & Growth, FLC Group – Marketing Agency for Every Can Counts UAE stated, “Amidst the challenges of limited awareness and cultural barriers, the Young Lions teams boldly tackled the mission to transform aluminum drink can recycling in the UAE. With innovation as their compass, they’ve crafted campaigns that not only educate on the importance of recycling but inspire behavioral change, aiming to elevate our recycling rates beyond the current 33%. Each team’s unique perspective contributes to a collective push for a sustainable future, aligning with Every Can Counts’ vision to make every can count in the journey towards environmental conservation and ACT Now.Thank you to Motivate Val Morgan for selecting the initiative to be part of this year’s UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2024, and the respective teams for their dedication, hard work and unique perspective to make a change.”
The jury panel for this year’s competition comprised of: Ahmed Alotaibi (BPG), Ali Zein (Saatchi & Saatchi), Andre Nassar (IMPACT BBDO), Andrej Arsenijevic (Commonwealth McCann), Aunindo Sen (Publicis Middle East), Fernando Miranda (VML), Frederico Roberto (TBWA\RAAD), Joseph Bihag (Almost Impossible), Kim Jerbo (Create Media Group), Leila Katrib (Incubeta), Muhammad Ali (Leo Burnett), Moemen El Siwi (Memac Ogilvy), Nicolas Garcia (Science & Sunshine), Oliver Robinson (Mullenlowe MENA), Paulo Engler (FP7 McCann),Sandy McIntosh (M&C Saatchi), Saravana Ramakrishnan (FLC Group), Saymon Medeiros (And Us) and Youssef Gadallah (TikTok).
Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, commented, “In an ever-evolving industry, the UAE Young Lions Festival stands as a beacon of creativity and innovation, showcasing the brightest talents in our region. This year, we witnessed an excellent level of participation, highlighting the festival’s growing importance and the thriving creative landscape in the UAE. The quality of work from all participants was truly exceptional, especially from the winners, Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag, who I’m sure will be great ambassadors during this year’s Cannes Lions event”
The UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, supported by Getty Images (the exclusive image provider of the competition), aims to unveil the brightest creative minds from across the UAE and is part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. The 2024 festival will take place between 17-21 June at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros from And Us won gold at the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2023
The 20th edition of the esteemed UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, witnessed 21 teams across 15 agencies compete on Saturday, 4th March 2023.
The Judging and Awards Ceremony followed on Wednesday, 8th March 2023, with Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros from And Us winning Gold.
Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros will receive a full week’s delegate pass and an all-expense-paid trip to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition – part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in June 2023.
Adila Fataliyeva and Isha Sharma from Science and Sunshine secured Silver, while Haneen Chaarawi and Sebastian Galindo Rubiano from McCann Dubai and Rim Reda and Kezia Shamil from Leo Burnett tied for Bronze.
This year’s client brief was from RoadSafetyUAE – an award-winning CSR & engagement program established in 2014, which serves as a communication, improvement, and education platform for all traffic participants in the UAE. Participating teams were challenged to develop a creative and innovative, ‘root cause’ based, long-lasting and universally true awareness campaign to help change the behaviour and mindset of young drivers in the UAE.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director, RoadSafetyUAE stated: “Young drivers represent about 50% of all road fatalities in the UAE and hence, this segment must be tackled by creating awareness for safe behavior, in a relevant manner. The team members of all twenty-one participating teams precisely represented the target audience, resulting in the creation of a series of genuinely insightful and pertinent campaigns that adhered to the guiding principle of “by them…for them!” As a means of honouring the outstanding creative endeavors, it would be ideal for the agencies behind the twenty-one teams to engage their clients and invite them to adopt the cause of road safety, while also leveraging some of the innovative concepts presented in partnership with RoadSafetyUAE. We want to thank Motivate Val Morgan and Getty Images for organizing and supporting the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2023, as well as the team members and the agencies behind them for their commitment and hard work.”
The jury panel for this year’s competition comprised of Girogia Fattoracci (Leo Burnett), Ingersol Jayakumar (Precise Communications), Andrej Arsenijevic (Commonwealth McCann), Steve De Lange (And Us), Anton Marais (Publicis Middle East), Anshuman Bhattacharya (Havas Middle East), Claudia Canas (FP7 McCann), David Willett (Weber Shandwick), Jordache Fernandes (KEKO Dubai), Raja Rizkallah Nadim (Science & Sunshine), Saleh Elghatit (Serviceplan), Rodrigo Scapolan (TBWA\RAAD), Rita Harbie (Saatchi & Saatchi MEA), and Robert Habib (C2 Communications)
Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, said: “This year has seen a notable increase in the number of entries, signifying the industry’s progress and resilience in the aftermath of the pandemic. I was mightily impressed with the quality of the work produced by the future of the creative industry. As always, it was extremely difficult to narrow down the top submissions but in the end there had to be a winning team – I want to congratulate everyone who put their all into the competition, but especially the winners, Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros from And Us, who I’m sure will be great ambassadors during this year’s Cannes Lions event.”
The UAE Young Lions Digital Competition – hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan and supported by Getty Images (exclusive image provider of the competition), aims to unveil the brightest creative minds from across the UAE, and is part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. The 2023 festival will take place between 19-23 June at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
Rebecca Ann Menezes and Eduardo Cesar from Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East win gold at the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2022.
The 19th edition of the esteemed UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, took place on Saturday, 26th March 2022.
This year’s competition took place online and witnessed participation from 18 teams across 10 creative agencies. The judging and awards ceremony followed on Wednesday, 30th March 2022, with Rebecca Ann Menezes and Eduardo Cesar from Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East winning Gold.
Rebecca and Eduardo will move on to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition, which will take place online between 25th – 27th May 2022. The gold winning duo will also receive a full week delegate pass and an all-expense paid trip to attend the in-person Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2022.
Ana Julia De Oliveira and Jarrad Pitts from Impact BBDO bagged Silver, while Mayar Essawy and Francesco Negri from FP7 McCann won Bronze.
The jury panel for this year’s competition comprised of Louise Kotze Hussein (BPG Group), Giorgia Fattoracci (Leo Burnett), Bruno Barbosa (Saatchi & Saatchi), Yasmina Boustani (Impact BBDO), Rafael Augusto (Publicis Middle East), Andre Marchesi (Science & Sunshine), Claudia Canas (FP7 McCann), Muhammad Ali (Momentum MENA), Vivek Kukreti (Precise Communications) and Vijay Simon (You Experience).
This year’s client brief was from Goumbook, the leading social enterprise promoting sustainable living and green practices in the UAE and beyond since 2010, and the competition was sponsored by Getty Images.
Participating teams were challenged to develop a creative and innovative digital led campaign for Goumbook’s latest initiative ‘Save the Butts – Waste to Value’ – the first sustainability initiative in the UAE that adopts a circular Economy approach to environmental pollution, that converts cigarette butts into a value-added material. The campaign goal was to raise awareness on the littering of cigarette butts and its negative impact on the environment, with a focus on promoting the initiative to corporates/companies and encouraging them to get involved.
Speaking at the online awards ceremony, Tatiana Antonelli, Founder of Goumbook, stated: ”Trillions of cigarettes are smoked annually, making cigarette butts the most common type of litter in the world. Due to the composition of butts being mainly plastic and toxic substances, this waste carries a very harmful risk for the environment and for living organisms, including humans. The ‘Save The Butts’ campaign aims to raise awareness and showcase alternative solutions to landfilling and incineration. We have identified technology to properly recycle this kind of waste and promote the recovery of materials in line with a circular economy approach and sustainable development. We welcome the local community, including individuals and businesses, to join the initiative, collect cigarette butts and help transform waste into value.”
Ian Fairservice – Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, said: “After a stellar performance from the standout up-and-comers of the industry, it was particularly difficult to narrow down the top submissions. In the end there had to be a winning team – I want to congratulate everyone who participated, but especially the winners Rebecca and Eduardo from Saatchi & Saatchi ME, who I’m sure will be great ambassadors from the UAE during this year’s Cannes Lions event.”
The UAE Young Lions Digital Competition – hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan, supported by Getty Images, aims to unveil the brightest creative minds from across the UAE, and is part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. 2022 will witness the return of the annual festival and will take place between 20th – 24th June at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
Moemen Metwally and Fernando Montero from Memac Ogilvy Dubai win gold at the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2021.
The 18th edition of the esteemed UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, took place on Saturday 27th March 2021.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s competition took place online, with a total of 14 teams across 9 agencies participating. The Judging and Awards Ceremony followed online on Monday 29th March 2021, with Moemen Metwally and Fernando Montero from Memac Ogilvy Dubai winning Gold.
The winning duo will move on to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Competition – in the digital category, which will also take place online in June 2021.
Warsha Jamnadas and Nour Itani from Publicis Middle East bagged Silver, while Tarryn Tucker and Luma Kudsiova from BPG Group Dubai, and Lina Maria Monroy and Alison Cordeiro Rodriguez from Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai tied for Bronze.
Other participating agencies at this year’s competition included: Leo Burnett Dubai, Socialize, And Us, Serviceplan Middle East and FP7 McCann.
The jury panel for this year’s competition comprised of: Munah Zahr (Leo Burnett), Fadi Yaish (And Us), Cristiano Tonnarelli (Memac Ogilvy), Komal Bedi Sohal (Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai), Fouad Malak and Oliver Robinson (F7P McCann), Rafael Augusto (Publicis Middle East), Akhilesh Bagri (Serviceplan Middle East), Anyce Nedir (Socialize), and Lousie Kotze and Justin Du Plessis (BPG Group Dubai)
This year’s client was du Telecommunications, who presented a brief pertaining to cybercrime in the UAE. Participating teams were asked to create a digital campaign with a powerful message and fitting hashtag, to emphasize the importance of the internet being utilized wisely and safely, with the necessary precautions in place.
Speaking at the Award ceremony on behalf of du Telecommunications, Dr. Mansoor Habib, Head of Sustainability & Wellbeing, said: “At du, our mission is to create a culture that addresses safe internet usage and related issues such as cyber bullying, digital addiction, and the wellbeing of everyone that uses our telecommunication services. We are very honored that we could introduce the theme of cyber safety at this year’s UAE Young Lions Digital Competition to brief all the participating agencies. The creative insight of the participants – all of which were very unique and powerful – helped us understand how much more innovative we can be with our communication on using the internet safely and responsibly.”
Ian Fairservice – Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, said “Even though the format for the UAE Young Lions Competition had to be adjusted to an online version this year, we were still very impressed with the content produced. I want to congratulate everyone who entered, but especially Moemen Metwally and Fernando Montero from Memac Ogilvy who I’m sure will be great ambassadors for the UAE during this year’s Cannes Lions Festival.”
The UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2021 was held in strategic partnership with Dubai Media City and was sponsored by Getty Images.
Congratulations to the winners and a job well done to all 14 teams who participated in this year’s competition.
Motivate and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representative of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, hosted the 16th UAE Young Lions Digital Competition on 21st April 2018 at Motivate Offices in Dubai Media City. The Judging and Awards Ceremony took place on 23rd April 2018 at In5 Media Innovation Centre in Dubai Production City.
A jury panel comprising Executive Creative Directors and Creative Directors from Dubai’s leading advertising agencies selected Sumer Kotwal (Art Director) and Gaurav Maitreya (Copywriter) – who entered as a freelance team, as the Gold winners of this year’s competition. The wining team was selected from 17 participating teams, and will be flown on an all-expense paid trip to Cannes to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition, which will be held in June 2018.
Maram Ashour (Art Director) and Rohit Venkatesh (Copywriter) from Ogilvy One came in second to win Silver, while Felipe Menezes (Art Director) and Waleed Bachnak (Copywriter) who entered a freelance team bagged Bronze.
Other participating agencies at this year’s competition included: FP7, JWT, Saatchi and Saatchi Dubai, Impact BBDO, Serviceplan Middle East, Momentum MENA, Socialize, TBWA, Science & Sunshine, Memac Ogilvy and DDB.
SNIFF – a rescue group for abandoned dogs and cats that actively promotes fostering and adoption of mixed breed animals in the UAE, was this year’s partner not-for-profit organization.
This year’s UAE Young Lions Digital Competition was held in association with our long-standing partner, Dubai Media City, and was supported by Getty Images and Xerox Emirates.
Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Group said: “The fantastic work produced by these young creatives continues to impress me every year. This is our 16th year hosting this competition and I can confidently say that the strength of the region’s talent continues to grow at an extremely fast pace. That’s why we are pleased to be able to give them the opportunity to represent the UAE in Cannes. I wish Sumer Kotwal and Gaurav Maitreya the best of luck, and I’m sure they will be great ambassadors for creativity in our region. ”
Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City said: “The Young Lions Competition is a globally renowned platform for digital enthusiasts, bringing the youth together to present their creativity. We are proud to once again partner with the UAE Young Lions and Motivate and act as a platform for local talent to be recognised internationally at the Cannes Festival. At Dubai Media City, we have always focused on creating opportunities for our community to be creatively active in Dubai and beyond, with the support of in5 media as well. We would like to thank all the participants for their positive energy, passion and commitment, and our heartiest congratulations to all the winners.”
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. It offers five days of award ceremonies, seminars, workshops, master classes, exhibitions, screenings and networking. The 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will run from 18th to 22nd June 2018 in Cannes, France.
Congratulations to the winners and a job well done to all 17 teams that participated in this year’s competition.
We look forward to receiving many more registrations next year round.
If you got what it takes, don’t miss out on participating in this year’s UAE Young Lions Digital Competition!
Requirements
Each team must consist of an art director and a copywriter, both 30 years of age or younger, i.e., born on or after 23 June 1987.
A team can be from a registered advertising agency, freelancers or from a creative team from the client side – all based in the UAE.
What’s in it for the GOLD Winning Team?
The team will be flown to Cannes for a trip of a lifetime – which includes air fare, accommodation, food expenses and 5 days registration at the Cannes Lions Festival.
The team will represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition 2018.
Registration Details
Registration Deadline: Sunday 15th April 2018
Fee (per team): 4,000 AED (not inclusive of VAT)
Download the Registration Form
Please Note: Email registration forms to [email protected] along with passport copies by Sunday 15th April 2018.
Competition Details
Date: Saturday 21st April 2018
Time: 9am to 7pm
Venue: Motivate Offices, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City
Awards Ceremony Details
Date: 23rd April 2018
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00PM
Venue: in5 Media Innovation Centre, Dubai Production City
Here’s a Glimpse of the UAE Young Lions Cyber Competition 2016:
Please note: the Cyber category has been renamed as Digital in 2018
Here’s an interview with the winners of the UAE Young Lions Cyber Competition 2016:
This year’s competition will be hosted by Motivate and Motivate Val Morgan – the official representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, held in association with Dubai Media City and sponsored by Getty Images and Xerox.
Register now!
