The winners of the Dubai Lynx Student Hackathon.Dubai Lynx Student Hack, hosted by Dubai Lynx in strategic partnership with Dubai Media City, the region’s leading media hub and one of TECOM Group PJSC’s 10 business districts across Dubai, concluded after an intensive 24‑hour creative challenge.
The challenge brought together top university talent from Association Partners, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Park, which together comprise TECOM Group’s Education Cluster.
Four teams, each comprising five students, participated in the challenge, which started with students attending sessions led by industry experts who guided them on how to approach the brief.
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This year’s brief challenged students to design a 360-degree communication campaign aimed at inspiring and attracting global learners to Dubai, and positioning the city as a world‑class, learner‑centric education destination.
The challenge aligned with the objectives of the Education 33 Strategy ‘E33’, supporting Dubai’s vision to empower diverse learners, foster innovation, and become a leading global education hub by 2033.
This was followed by each team presenting its ideas to a jury comprising industry leaders, who scored the submissions based on the evaluation criteria of creativity, strategic insight and real-world impact.
Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman, Dubai Lynx, said: “The calibre of work produced by students this year reflects the incredible creative potential across the region. At Dubai Lynx, we are committed to supporting programmes that give young people the platform, mentorship, and visibility they need to thrive in this industry.”
Held at Dubai Knowledge Park, the two‑day programme immersed students in a real‑world creative brief and culminated in the selection of the winning campaign, which stood out for its strategic clarity, creative execution, and strong alignment with Dubai’s long‑term educational vision.
The Jury panel comprised Alka Winter, VP Marketing and Communications, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Ciaran Bonass, Executive Creative Director, SRMG Labs; Diyaa Sherif, Division Lead, Innocean; Douglas Palau, VP, IAA UAE and Vitamin C; Georges Khouri, Marketing Director, TECOM Group; and Sara Paye, Senior Marketing & Communications Director, Dentsu.
The winning team comprised Maleeha Alam from De Montfort University Dubai; Bhumi Bhatia of Middlesex University Dubai; Brishnee Luximon representing S P Jain School of Global Management; Marwah Ansar from Murdoch University Dubai; and Sefan Herpassa Garomssa of Zayed University.
“Youth talent has the unique ability to inject fresh perspectives that accelerate our industry’s progress, and as the region’s leading media hub, Dubai Media City empowers young creatives to collaborate and innovate,” said Majed Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Media City, Dubai Production City, and Dubai Studio City, part of TECOM Group.
Al Suwaidi added, “Our Strategic Partnership for Dubai Lynx Creative Hack demonstrates our commitment to championing platforms where today’s talent can reshape tomorrow’s creativity, and we commend the winners and participants of this year’s competition. Aligned with the goals of Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’ and Education 33 Strategy ‘E33’, we will continue to support such initiatives as our community remains the destination of choice for media talent from around the world.”
Dubai Lynx Student Hack serves as a launchpad for emerging creatives, offering hands-on experience, industry exposure, and the opportunity to contribute to initiatives shaping Dubai’s creative landscape. Dubai Lynx is the Middle East and North Africa region’s leading platform for creative excellence and effectiveness.
Dubai Media City is part of TECOM Group’s portfolio of 10 business districts, including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, and Dubai Design District (d3).
