Athar – Saudi Festival of Creativity has officially opened its Call for Content, inviting local, regional and international experts from across the creative marketing ecosystem to shape the agenda for its upcoming edition.
Industry professionals have been offered until 8 July 2026 to submit their proposals via the festival’s official website.
Now entering its fourth year, the festival is scheduled to take place from 24-25 November 2026 at the Crowne Plaza RDC in Riyadh.
Presented by Motivate Media Group and TRACCS, Athar 2026 is scaling up to match the rapid evolution of the Kingdom’s creative economy. Last year, the festival brought together over 3,000 attendees, bringing together brand marketers, agency leads, media professionals and emerging talent.
With Saudi Arabia cementing its position as a global creative force, the 2026 lineup will feature more than 150 speakers, 80 brand activations and a significantly expanded programming footprint.
Prospective contributors can submit proposals across four specific categories:
- Speaker/Session Submissions;
- Campaign Showcase Submissions;
- Speaker Submission for the Athar Curated Panel Discussions; and
- Moderator Submissions.
The editorial framework for 2026 has been designed across four distinct streams.
- The Creative Impact stream will focus on brand storytelling, advertising and marketing.
- Future Forward will address AI, machine learning, and data-driven marketing.
- Screen and Influence will explore media distribution, influencer marketing and content creation from an advertising lens.
- Decoding Saudi will offer a nuanced, insider look at Saudi Arabia’s unique market dynamics, cultural shifts and creative ambitions.
A major highlight for this year’s festival is the introduction of the Campaign Showcase. Moving away from standard case studies, this format is designed as a candid, behind-the-scenes dialogue between a senior agency executive and their brand counterpart.
In May, the organisers hosted a webinar, From Idea to Stage: Crafting a Winning Submission, to reveal how to craft strong session submissions that get accepted. Athar’s Content Head, Megha Anthony, with Lucy Harvey, an experienced PR strategist, broke down what makes a submission stand out in a highly competitive selection process.
The call for content submission closes 8 July. Visit atharfestival.com to get involved or reach out to [email protected].
