Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag from Almost Impossible Agency won Gold at the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2024.
The 21st edition of the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, took place on Saturday, 24th February 2024.
The online competition for the digital category witnessed 23 teams representing agencies, client-side creative teams, as well as freelancers.
The Judging and Awards Ceremony followed on Wednesday, 28th February 2024, with Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag, representing Almost Impossible, winning Gold.
Nayan and Bihag will receive a full week’s delegate pass and an all-expense-paid trip to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition – part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in June 2024.
Jolanda Van Rooyen and Jean Pierre Deaibes from Publicis Middle East claimed the Silver, while Francesco Negri and Michelle Co from FP7 McCann took home the Bronze.
This year introduced a new section for honorable mentions. These were Faten AlMukhtar and Sevval Asena Celik from TikTok, and Anzan Nahas Mohammed and Kezia Shamil from Leo Burnett.
The brief
The client brief was from Every Can Counts, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting awareness about recycling aluminum drink cans.
Participating teams were tasked with crafting an integrated digital campaign that communicates the significance of aluminum drink can recycling and inspires change in behaviour to boost recycling rates.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Nidhi Sehgal, General Manager – Strategy & Growth, FLC Group – Marketing Agency for Every Can Counts UAE stated, “Amidst the challenges of limited awareness and cultural barriers, the Young Lions teams boldly tackled the mission to transform aluminum drink can recycling in the UAE.”
Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, commented, “In an ever-evolving industry, the UAE Young Lions Festival stands as a beacon of creativity and innovation, showcasing the brightest talents in our region.
“This year, we witnessed an excellent level of participation, highlighting the festival’s growing importance and the thriving creative landscape in the UAE.
“The quality of work from all participants was truly exceptional, especially from the winners, Nayan Ganegoda and Braeden Bihag, who I’m sure will be great ambassadors during this year’s Cannes Lions event.”
The 2024 festival will take place between 17-21st June in Cannes, France.
