Dubai, 6th March 2013: Dubai Lynx announced today the winners of the Dubai Lynx 7-Day Brief powered by YouTube. Participants had just seven days to make a 30 second ad for the Red Crescent and share it on the Dubai Lynx YouTube channel. Out of 32 entries from across the MENA region two creative talents from Egypt and the UAE have been named winners: Mounaz Abdel Raouf whose work was entitled ‘Never Underestimate a Child’s Imagination’ and Abey Joseph Yohanan’s ‘Changing Birth Certificate’ won the judges over with their heartfelt yet creative ideas.
The premise of The Dubai Lynx 7-Day Brief powered by YouTube was simple — ask the creative community of the Middle East to develop a 30 second ad to raise awareness for the Red Crescent. Participants were asked to create a video for the ‘800 RED’ campaign which asks viewers to support orphaned children in the region.
The winners receive a prize of an all-expenses paid trip to the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity from 10-13 March 2013, in addition to a unique 30-minutes one-on-one tutorial with a member of the Dubai Lynx jury.
Mounaz Raouf, a recent graduate, came upon the idea for her emotive advert while teaching art to orphan children in Cairo. Speaking about how the idea was developed she said, “The number of experiences I had with these little ones was so touching- I’ve always learned something new about their pain through their art. I asked one child to draw what he thought his parents would look like. He painted his father with a lion’s face and his mother with cheeks that looked like strawberries. Immediately I understood what a child’s imagination can do and where it can take them, thus forming the premise for my entry.”
Upon hearing that he had been selected as a winner Abey Joseph Yohanan commented, “Films are a passion for me and this was a great opportunity to tell a story. The 7-Day Brief was an exciting challenge to create work that helps the less fortunate in society. YouTube was a great platform for the competition, as with other creatives or budding filmmakers in the region I use it a lot. The benefit is that we can showcase our work directly to the end consumer, who then has the power of choice to like, dislike, comment and share.”
Mohammed Abdullah Al Haj Zarouni – Director of the UAE Red Crescent in Dubai said,
“On behalf Red Crescent I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all of the entries submitted to the Dubai Lynx 7-Day Brief by YouTube. The two winning adverts touch upon the human spirit, and I hope they will urge viewers to aid and assist those less fortunate than themselves.”
Robin Smith, Judge and Regional Creative Director at OgilvyAction Dubai commented, “‘Never Underestimate a Child’s Imagination’ really stood out for me. It has all the right elements – a captivating idea, the story telling, emotion and crafting. The ultimate test for these ads is does it make me want to open my wallet immediately and donate? This idea had me reaching for my pocket.”
Emma Lancaster, Director of Dubai Lynx comments, “The response to this competition was good with a total of 32 entries received from five different countries. Partnering with YouTube enabled creative talent from across the region to easily get involved and help a not-for-profit to raise their campaign’s awareness.”
Tarek Abdalla, Head of Marketing for Google in the Gulf & Levant, said “Abey and Mounaz demonstrate what creative and original content we can produce in MENA! With a platform like YouTube, the world will be able to see their work and raise awareness for this important cause.”
YouTube is a global destination for creativity in addition to acting as a touchstone for society, knowledge and culture. Google is committed to supporting the growth of original content on the web in the MENA region and as such there are local versions of YouTube in eight countries across the Middle East – Algeria, Egypt, KSA, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen and the UAE. There are 285 million video views a day in MENA, putting the region in the number two spot in the world (behind the U.S and ahead of Brazil).
Winning Entries:
Name: Mounaz Abdel Raouf
Location: Egypt
Ad name: Never Underestimate a Child’s Imagination
Name: Abey Joseph Yohanan
Location: UAE
Ad name: Birth Certificate
The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity is the leading competition and awards for advertising creative excellence in the Middle East and Africa
Presented by Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity together with their regional partners, Motivate Publishing, the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, is held in association with the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and with the support of Dubai Media City (DMC). The 6th Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity will bring to the Middle East and Africa a series of high profile seminars, workshops, exhibitions and screenings aimed at giving creative inspiration, learning and networking opportunities to the advertising and allied industries in the region. The Lynx Academy, The Young Lynx Integrated Competition and Networking evenings are additional events enjoyed by participants. The Dubai Lynx awards, which are part of the Festival, will honour creative excellence in Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Direct, Promo & Activation, Media, Interactive, Film Craft, Print & Poster Craft, Design, Mobile, PR, Integrated and Branded Content & Entertainment advertising and communications. High-profile international jurors will award the coveted Dubai Lynx trophy to establish the definitive standard for creative excellence in the Middle East and Africa region.
About Lions Festivals
Lions Festivals is the organiser of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Eurobest as well as co-organisers, with its joint venture partners, of Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, Festival of Asian Marketing Effectiveness, and the Digital Asia Festival. www.lionsfestivals.com
Its flagship festival, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is the world’s leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France, and brings together professionals in the film, media, technology, PR, design and marketing industries to attend a week-long programme of exhibitions, screenings and talks by worldwide thought leaders. The Festival also awards Lions to the best work of that year across a variety of sectors and media. A Lion is regarded as the most coveted award in the creative communications industry and a global benchmark of excellence. Lions Festivals is powered by Top Right Group.
About Motivate
Motivate is the Middle East’s leading publisher of magazines and books. Motivate’s portfolio comprises of more than 20 market-leading magazines – many of which have independently audited circulations – and over 300 books. With a staff of more than 200 experienced and dedicated professionals, Motivate is committed to providing editorial excellence, audited circulation and transparent research data across its platform of publications.
In addition to partnering Dubai Lynx, Motivate, through its cinema advertising company, Motivate Val Morgan, is also the Official UAE Representative of the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. http://www.motivatepublishing.com/
Key Dates:
Festival Dates: 10–12 March 2013
Dubai Lynx Awards: 13 March 2013
About YouTube
YouTube is the world’s largest online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch, and share original videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original-content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC, is based in San Bruno, California, and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.
About Google Inc.
Google is a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Google’s innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top Internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world.
Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
Website: www.google.com
For information about Google in the Middle East, please visit our Official Google Arabia Blog: http://google-arabia.blogspot.com/
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Samer Marzouq
Digital Media Superhero, Online Marketing Pro, Mad-Men Fellow, Tech Junkie, Advertising Whiz, Chief-Blogging-Officer, Bilingual Copywriter, Amateur Photographer