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The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has concluded yesterday night during a live Awards ceremony and dinner taking place at the Dubai Opera House with the announcement of this year’s winners among a joyful crowd obviously happy to attend the first live Lynx Awards ceremony since 2019.
From 1,739 entries, 383 pieces of work have been shortlisted and competed to be awarded MENA’s most looked after branded communications accolade.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt had the most shortlisted entries and have all been awarded Grands Prix.
A total of 167 awards have been given by the juries.
During the Awards Ceremony, which was co-sponsored by TikTok, the Advertiser of the Year was awarded to IKEA, which won the Industry Craft Grand Prix.
The winner of the night is Impact BBDO who scooped 11 Grands Prix out of the 20 awarded on the night.
This year’s Grand Prix winners are:
Brand Experience and Activation
From 139 entries received, 15 were awarded: 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 7 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Double Moon’, UAE Government Media Office, Mullenlowe Mena, Dubai.
Creative Effectiveness
From 71 entries received, 8 were awarded: 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The New National Anthem Edition’, Annahar, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Creative Strategy
From 56 entries received, 7 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Elections Edition’, An Nahar, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Design
From 59 entries received, 6 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Liquid Billboard’, Adidas, Havas Middle East, Dubai.
Digital
From 107 entries received, 10 were awarded: 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 5 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Femine Arabic’, Twitter, VMLY&R COMMERCE MENA, Dubai.
Wesley ter Haar, Co-Founder, Media.Monks and Jury President of the Digital Lynx Jury said: “We had some truly inspiring and inspired work in the Digital category, but Feminine Arabic was the quintessential slow burn. It kept coming back in conversation, and as it faced off against other key cases it ended up being a bigger story. As digital has struggled with the role and responsibilities of platforms, Twitter’s change to their own inspired other brands and businesses to be part of the cultural conversation and change."
Direct
From 124 entries received, 13 were awarded: 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Despair No More’, Tena, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Entertainment
From 69 entries received, 8 were awarded: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 4 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘It’s Possible’, UAE Government Media Office, Virtue, Dubai.
Film
From 163 entries received, 11 were awarded: 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Rolling Stone: Rockin’ Mamas’, Rolling Stone Magazine, Good People Films, Cairo / VMLY&R Italy, Milan.
Film Craft
From 131 entries received, 13 were awarded: 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Beyond the Surface’, Adidas, Havas Middle East, Dubai.
Khalil Bachooali, Founder & Managing Director, Offroad Films and Jury President of the Film Craft Jury said “We awarded the Grand Prix to "Beyond The Surface" by Adidas. This film was a clear winner for the Jury for a number of reasons; It showcased best-in-class film-craft in every single category, it demonstrated restraint and at the same time nuanced film-making; Special mention of the mature and yet impactful decisions made with respect to direction, cast, script, cinematography. It was inspiring to see that this film was made with a great deal of sensitivity while respecting the cultural norms of the region - to Women, swimwear and the Middle East Region.
This film acts as an important case study as it demonstrates the next chapter of women in advertising and sends out an equally valuable message to the region - the importance of strong, independent, powerful women who will pave the way for a bright future in the Middle East.”
Glass: The Award for Change
From 14 entries received, 2 were awarded: 1 Glass Lynx and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Despair No More’, Tena, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Grand Prix for Good
The Grand Prix for Good was awarded to ‘The Macabre Dictionary of Virginity Testing’, M.A.L.I - MAROC, TBWA\RAAD Dubai.
Healthcare
From 55 entries received, 7 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Despair No More’, Tena, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Industry Craft
From 127 entries received, 8 were awarded: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Bedroom’, Ikea, Leo Burnett, Riyadh.
Integrated
From 33 entries received, 2 were awarded: 1 Integrated Lynx and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Elections Edition’, An Nahar, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Media
From 140 entries received, 17 were awarded: 4 Gold, 4 Silver, 8 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Despair No More’, Tena, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Anna Chitty, CEO, Starcom and 2022 Jury President of the Media Jury said: “We selected a very deserving Grand Prix winner, one that stood out for its bravery, with a deep connection to a cultural insight, using the power of excellent media craft to shape culture, change language and society at large. It was an excellent entry and a unanimous decision.”
Mobile
From 24 entries received, 2 were awarded: 1 Mobile Lynx and the Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Offline Hour’, Pizza Hut, M&C Saatchi, Dubai.
Outdoor
From 106 entries received, 8 were awarded: 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Elections Edition’, An Nahar, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
PR
From 121 entries received, 14 were awarded: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 7 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Elections Edition’, An Nahar, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Print & Publishing
From 72 entries received, 4 were awarded: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘The Elections Edition’, An Nahar, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Radio & Audio
From 25 entries received, 2 were awarded: 1 Radio & Audio Lynx and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Fits Anywhere’, IKEA, Wunderman Thompson, Riyadh.
The Radio and Audio Lynx Award was sponsored by Anghami, the first legal music streaming platform in the Middle East and North Africa, giving more than 70 million users in MENA, Europe and USA, access to over 57 million Arabic and International songs to stream and download.
Social & Influencer
From 103 entries received, 9 were awarded: 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Despair No More’, Tena, Impact BBDO, Dubai.
Catalin Dobre, Chief Creative Officer McCann Worldgroup Romania, Creative Director McCann CEE, McCann and Jury President for Social & Influencer Lynx award said “Social has the power to engage people in meaningful conversations that can have a cultural impact and can change society for the better. We let this principle guide us when we picked our Grand Prix for Social & Influencer category. We fell in love with “Despair No More” because it starts from a deep cultural tension and it uses social to grab people into a debate that delivers a cultural shift and opens people’s minds. We really admired Tena’s courage to challenge prejudice, to empower women and to drive change in the region.”
Dubai Lynx Special Awards were given as follows:
Network of the Year
1. BBDO Worldwide
2. Havas Creative
3. TBWA Worldwide
Media Network of the Year
1. Zenith
2. Starcom
3. OMD Worldwide
MENA Agency of the Year
1. Impact BBDO, Dubai, UAE
2. Havas Middle East, Dubai, UAE
3. TBWA\RAAD, Dubai, UAE
Independent Agency of the Year
1. ServicePlan Middle East, Dubai, UAE
2. Elephant, Cairo, Egypt
3. ‿ And Us, Dubai, UAE
Lynx Palm Award
1. Good People Films, Egypt
2. La Cosa, UAE
3. Movie Magic International, Italy
4. Virtue, UAE
5. DéJá Vu, UAE
Philip Thomas, Chairman LIONS and Dubai Lynx, said “Congratulations to this year’s Dubai Lynx 2022 winners. We have seen examples of outstanding creativity from our winners and they have set the benchmark for creative excellence in MENA while providing an insight into the region’s current industry landscape. It has been wonderful to celebrate our winners at tonight’s awards ceremony and I’d like to also say a huge thank you to all of our jurors for their hard work.”
Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman, Dubai Lynx, added ”We are delighted to bring together the MENA creative community to our first live awards ceremony for Dubai Lynx since 2019. It is a very special evening that recognises the talent in the region’s creative communications industry and celebrates the work that is driving progress. Congratulations to all of our winners tonight."
