The United Arab Emirates wins 23 majestic Lions – 1 Grand Prix, 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 14 Bronze, at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The 71st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity concluded on June 21, 2024, with the UAE securing an impressive 23 Lions—including 1 Grand Prix, 3 Gold, 5 Silver, and 14 Bronze—across multiple categories such as Grand Prix for Good, Health & Wellness, Print & Publishing, Audio & Radio, Pharma Lions, Industry Craft, Direct, and more.
Winning agencies from the UAE include IMPACT BBDO, Leo Burnett MEA (Middle East & Africa), FP7 McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi ME, MullenLowe MENA McCann Health, and Serviceplan Group Middle East, alongside the brand Floward MENA.
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said, “As we wrap up another year of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, I hope everyone feels an extraordinary sense of pride and a rejuvenated sense of energy and inspiration in our industry. I’d like to congratulate each and every winner – as well as those shortlisted – on being recognised by your peers as demonstrating the greatest, most effective creativity our industry has to offer.”
This year’s festival saw 13 Awarding Jury Members and 12 Shortlisting Jury Members who joined the cohort of Juries from around the world to select and award the best work of the year.
Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag proudly represented the UAE in two esteemed events as part of the Festival: the International Young Lions Digital Competition (for young creatives under 30 in the digital category) and the Roger Hatchuel Academy (a mentorship program for university students in creative communications). Their participation exemplifies the UAE’s commitment to nurturing and empowering emerging talent in the ever-evolving creative landscape.
Commenting on their experience at this year’s International Young Lions Competition, Team UAE – Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag – said “Attending the Cannes Lions for the first time was a remarkable experience. It went beyond what we imagined the festival to be, where we had the opportunity to not just immerse ourselves in learning from the best in the industry but form meaningful connections with them while celebrating creativity week long. We leave inspired and driven to attend again in the future.
They added, “Representing the UAE at the Young Lions, we had the chance to compete with over 100 of the world’s best under-30 creatives for a climate advocacy brief set by ‘Project Dandelion’. They are a new non-profit social movement aiming to unify climate efforts under one banner. In 24 hours, we were tasked with developing and presenting a digital campaign that would drive mass recruitment and awareness. It was a tough challenge, but having the chance to work on a meaningful problem and pitch to industry heavyweights was a truly gratifying experience. Armed with our experience, having succeeded locally at the UAE Young Lions, we brought that experience forward with a strategy-led campaign. In the end, we made it to the shortlist, presenting a second time to a larger jury and securing ourselves a place among the Top 7. Special thanks to Motivate Val Morgan for making all this possible, and to our team at Almost Impossible Agency for believing in us.
Speaking about her experience at this year’s Roger Hatchuel Academy, Clara Armanious from Murdoch University Dubai said, “Representing the UAE at the prestigious Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy 2024 was a career-defining moment. The energy of the festival, surrounded by the world’s most inspiring creative minds and celebrating the groundbreaking campaigns, was truly transformative and an achievement that will shape my professional journey for years to come.
She added, “At the academy, I had the unique opportunity to engage with and learn from the world’s best industry leaders through panel discussions and sessions, gaining invaluable insights into the creative landscape. I’m grateful to my Professor Joseph Nalloor and Murdoch University Dubai for nominating me for this incredible opportunity. I also want to thank the festival, the RHA, Ian Fairservice, Motivate Media Group, Avinash Udeshi, and Sahal Valliyot from the Motivate Val Morgan team for making this incredible experience happen. This experience has not only broadened my perspective but also inspired my passion for pushing the boundaries of creativity in my future work.”
As the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan extend heartfelt congratulations to the victorious agencies, esteemed jury members, and talented young representatives who proudly showcased the UAE at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Check out the Cannes Lions Wrap Up Report to catch up on all the prominent moments from the festival from industry insights to festival themes and what was said on stage and the work that won.
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.
