Dubai Lynx has opened applications for its students competitions, hosted in partnership with Ad Net Zero, which will offer students aged 18 to 25 in the MENA region the opportunity to lead the change within the creative marketing landscape and gain a strong foothold in the highly competitive brand, marketing, advertising, and creative job market.
The two student competitions – which include the Creative Competition and the Integrated Competition –are designed to challenge young creatives, hone their skills, and fine-tune their abilities by competing alongside top young talent from the region.
Students aged 18 to 25, who enrolled in a full-time university with a creative, marketing, advertising or communications major, are eligible to apply from countries across the region, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, West Bank and Gaza, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
Commenting on the importance and impact of student competitions at Dubai Lynx, Samantha Ablo, a student at the SAE Institute, Dubai, who won the first place at the Dubai Lynx student cover competition 2024, said, “Dubai Lynx gave me a lot of exposure. I was able to see all the leading agencies in the region and their amazing award-winning entries. It gave me a good idea on who I might want to work with in the future, and of course, having an award like this really helps you stand out as an aspiring creative professional. Of course, I would recommend that my fellow students join Dubai Lynx, as well. I think it’s such a great platform to put yourself out there.”
“Yes, getting shortlisted is such a great privilege and honour, but at the end of the day, it’s an opportunity to have fun, challenge yourself, and apply the design skills we’ve been developing over uni to something that might get us an award,” said Samantha Ablo, a former student cover competition winner.
How to get shortlisted for an award at the Student Competitions
Dubai Lynx, in partnership with Ad Net Zero, is hosting two competitions through which students can showcase their creative marketing prowess:
Student Creative Competition
The Student Creative Competition opens the door to an exciting and real communications challenge, which offers students the opportunity to create an attention-grabbing print advertisement / billboard / poster in response to the below brief and in line with the required deliverable.
Brief: How can we inspire UAE residents to reduce food waste through impactful visual storytelling?
Deliverable: Design a visually striking print ad campaign / billboard / poster that highlights the negative impact of food waste on the environment and economy.
Student Integrated Competition
This challenging competition asks students to craft and submit an attention-grabbing campaign using three forms of media in response to the below brief and in line with the required deliverable.
Brief: How can we encourage UAE residents to adopt plant-rich diets?
Deliverables: Develop a multi-faceted campaign using three media channels to educate and inspire the audience to adopt plant-rich diets.
Khaled Al Shehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the UAE Government Media Office, said, “I specifically wanted to judge this competition because I believe in the power of young minds to drive meaningful change. Events like the Dubai Lynx Festival are more than just showcases; they are incubators of innovation. It’s inspiring to see universities encouraging their students to participate. But we need even more institutions to join in. This is a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and directly interact with industry leaders, fostering real-world skills and making invaluable connections.”
“When evaluating entries, we look for campaigns with clear strategies, innovative ideas and excellent creative execution. Your fresh perspective can advance sustainable practices in advertising and inspire responsible industry standards,” said Khaled Al Shehhi, one of the judges at the competition, and an Ad Net Zero representative.
Sharing her thoughts to the student participants, the Jury President for the competitions, Marie Claire Maalouf, said, “I’m here to unlearn what years of experience taught me. As young creatives you are unburdened from experience. Your fresh minds bring an unfiltered perspective and I’m hoping to be caught off guard by your ideas. My generation merely adopted AI and the new mediums, but it comes as second nature to you. So, I can’t wait to see the solving angles that they will come up with and the language they will use.”
“These competitions puts you on the radar but they also influence you at a deeper level. Once a creative gets a taste of the rush that comes with finding a creative solution to a problem they wouldn’t want to stop. They become more perceptive to problems around them and more proactive with their approach to solving them,” said Marie Claire Maalouf, Chief Creative Officer at Edelman EMEA
Click on the links here to find out more about the Student Creative Competition or the Student Integrated Competition and to begin your applications to the competitions.
The deadline for submissions is 8 January, 2025, but the earlier you get started, the better your chances at being recognised by the brightest and the best in the MENA creative marketing industry.
