Athar Festival 2025 will be hosting a line-up of competitions designed to spotlight the region’s next generation of creative talent, with briefs ranging from real-world advertising challenges to sports and entertainment activations.
Nawa – Saudi advertising student competition (powered by Sifr)
This year at Athar Festival, Saudi creative agency Sifr is launching Nawa, a new competition aimed at university students across the Kingdom.
Open to those studying advertising, media, marketing, art and design, business, filmmaking, production or architecture, the contest invites teams of two to tackle a live brief from Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA). The competition is designed to spotlight the next generation of creative talent.
Teams of two will work on a real-world advertising challenge, testing their creative and strategic skills under festival conditions.
Selected applicants will be announced in the lead-up to Athar and will receive free Classic Passes to attend the festival. The winning team will be honored on stage and will be offered internship opportunities with Sifr.
Applications will close on 30 September. Apply Now.
Play the moment (powered by dentsu Sports & Entertainment)
Also debuting at Athar is Play the Moment, a creative competition built around a real-world brief from Hungerstation, KSA’s food and grocery delivery platform.
Open to students, emerging creatives and young professionals across KSA and MENA, the challenge asks participants to pitch ideas for a Sports & Entertainment IP; and celebrates emerging talent in the Kingdom.
The submission deadline is the 6th October. Apply Now.
Three finalists, selected by a dentsu jury, will present their ideas live on the at Community Stage on 21 October, 4:10pm and the winners will be announced later that day at 6pm on the Strategic Stage.
The prize includes recognition on stage, two tickets to a European football match, return economy flights, and a two-night hotel stay in the host city for two
From real-world ads to AI challenges, offer something for everyone, giving participants opportunities to explore, showcase talent and win big at Athar.
The winners will be announced for all competitions and initiatives, live at Athar on the Strategic Stage on day 1, 21 October at 6 pm.
For more information please visit: https://atharfestival.com/competitions/
