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With less than a month to go for the awards ceremony at Atlantis, The Palm on November 23, 2023, the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) revealed they have received close to 750 entries across 47 categories. MEPRA celebrates and recognizes the most creative and impactful practitioners in the Middle East.
Reckoning the growing need to identify and accommodate niche service expertise, the annual awards have introduced four new categories, confirming a strategic growth in structure. Interestingly, the association also recruited 112 judges, the highest in MEPRA history consisting of independent adjudicators and industry veterans.
The annual MEPRA Awards is open to all Middle East-based agencies, corporates, government organizations, non-profits, students, and academia working in the communications profession.
Speaking of the 15th edition of MEPRA Annual Awards, Kate Midttun, Chairperson MEPRA said: “It’s been a decade and a half of recognizing excellence in PR and celebrating professionals that guide brand stories but, 2023 has been a lot more than the usual drill. With the highest number of judges recruited in the history of the awards, we have on board stalwarts that have reached both, the pinnacle of industry knowledge and innovation. This has added a competitive edge where the entries continued to impress and the judges went into the depths of communication functions and goals across organizations to weigh excellence and outcome. I congratulate all the honorable judges and nominees on making this edition yet another milestone for MEPRA.”
The new categories introduced are Medium Agency of the Year, Best Campaign Demonstrating DE&I Initiatives, Best Collaborative Campaign, and Best Food and Beverages Campaign. All the entries have been additionally adjudicated by industry veterans Aseem Sood – Chairman of The International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) and Richard Bagnall – Co-managing Partner at CARMA International and Board Director at AMEC to ensure a fair and accurate winner for every category.
The association also confirmed phenomenal contributions from the PR industry reflecting upon a new era of industry-ready brand custodians as well as seasoned professionals. While the ‘Young Communicator of the Year’ category became the highest shortlist with 12 nominees; campaigns like The Alternative Alphabet by Memac Ogilvy, confirmed 10 shortlists in various categories. Well-established PR leaders like Weber Shandwick MENAT, Memac Ogilvy, Hill &Knowlton, Four Agency Worldwide, BLJ Worldwide, and Acorn Strategy are up for the coveted ‘Large Agency of the Year’
The Diamond Partner for the MEPRA Awards 2023 is Weber Shandwick along with supporting partners Carma, Edelman, Four Agency Worldwide, APCO Worldwide, TrailRunner International, Place Agency Worldwide, Hill & Knowlton, First & Ten Productions, Matrix PR and AMEC Measurement and Evaluation.
