The official representatives of the UAE at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan, hosted an awards ceremony on September 12 to honor the Cannes winners from the UAE. During the ceremony, Ian Fairservice, the Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief of Motivate Group, and Avinash Udeshi, the Chief Operating Officer of Motivate Val Morgan, presented the Cannes Lions awards to the winning agencies in the UAE.Among the attendees at the award ceremony were Havas Middle East, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, FP7 McCann, and Impact BBDO.The 2023 Cannes Lions held particular significance for the Middle East region, as Ali Rez, the Chief Creative Officer of Impact BBDO, served as the first-ever Jury President from the MENA region. Impact BBDO was also honored as the MENA Network of the Year for the fifth consecutive year. They received several awards, including 1 Grand Prix for Print & Publishing, 1 Gold for Glass: The Lion for Change, and 1 Bronze for Creative Strategy.The UAE boasted the largest group of 18 Jury members overseeing the festival. This year's competition saw a substantial increase in entries, with 640 submissions from 22 UAE agencies, compared to 358 the previous year. Of these entries, 81 were shortlisted, and 21 received Lions, including 1 Grand Prix, 1 Gold, 6 Silver, and 13 Bronze awards. This accomplishment solidified the UAE's position as one of the top nations to receive numerous awards at the festival.Notably, the UAE also received awards for the first time in categories such as Glass: The Lion for Change, Entertainment for Music, and Creative Data. FP7 McCann secured the highest number of Lions, with 2 Silvers in Creative Data and Outdoor, along with 7 Bronze awards in various categories, including Brand Experience & Activation, Direct, Entertainment for Music, Industry Craft, Media, Outdoor, and Radio. The Us agency also achieved recognition with 3 Lions, comprising 1 Silver in Health and Wellness and 2 Bronze in Design. Havas Middle East was awarded a Bronze Lion in the PR category.In addition, Saatchi & Saatchi, a part of Publicis Groupe, received double Bronze awards in Health & Wellness and Creative Commerce, while Leo Burnett, another sister agency, earned double Silver awards for Creative Commerce and Creative Strategy.Notably, Jonathan Cruz from And Us, a member of the Young Lions Digital Competition UAE team alongside Saymon Medeiros, and Chloe Salloum from the American University in Dubai, who represented the UAE at the Roger Hatchuel Academy student programme, were also present at the event.

Dubai: On the first day of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Impact BBDO Dubai emerged as the victor, securing the region's fourth Grand Prix. The announcement was made during the festival's inaugural live Awards Show of the week.The prestigious Grand Prix was bestowed upon Impact BBDO in recognition of their exceptional work in the Print & Publishing category. Their entry, titled "Newspapers Inside a Newspaper" for Annahar Newspaper, garnered this accolade. This marks the second consecutive year that Impact BBDO has claimed the Grand Prix in the print & publishing category. In the previous year, they won for their submission "The Elections Edition," also for Annahar Newspaper.This triumph not only adds to Impact BBDO's Grand Prix count but also signifies their third overall victory in this category. They achieved their first, which was a historic first for the region, in 2019.The "Newspapers Inside a Newspaper" campaign serves as a testament to the preservation of free speech in Lebanon and addresses the crisis that impacted the publishing industry. It ingeniously revitalizes publications that were shuttered due to political failures and pressures by incorporating them into the newspaper's daily edition.The Print & Publishing Jury expressed their admiration for the winning entry, stating, The Grand Prix was awarded to a brave piece of work that put into action a publication-based idea to defend the sanctity of a free press,”They further expressed their hope that this campaign would inspire the industry by showcasing the everlasting innovation potential within the realm of publications.In total, the Print & Publishing Lions category received 814 entries, resulting in the allocation of 26 Lions: 4 Gold, 7 Silver, and 14 Bronze.Leading the jury for this category was Ali Rez, the Chief Creative Officer of Impact BBDO, who also holds the distinction of being the MENA region's first Jury President.Additionally, the first Awards Show also revealed the winners of the Pharma Lions, Health & Wellness Lions, Outdoor Lions, and Radio & Audio Lions.In the Outdoor category, FP7 McCann Dubai was honored with a Silver and Bronze Lion for their work on 'The Heinzjack'. The agency also secured another Bronze Lion for their project 'Frequencies of Peace' for Babyshop in the Radio category.VMLY&R Dubai, in collaboration with their US-based counterpart VMLY&R Commerce, achieved a Silver Lion in the Radio category for their creation 'I See Coke' for Coca-Cola.Under the Health & Wellness category, two agencies, And Us and Saatchi & Saatchi, were recognized with a Silver and Bronze Lion respectively. The Silver Lion was awarded to 'Sole Music' for Sole Music, while the Bronze Lion was presented to 'Empty Plates' for the UAE Government Media Office.LIONS CEO Simon Cook said: “We’re delighted to honour our first Lion winners who are raising the creative bar on the global stage. Thank you to all of our exceptional Jurors who have given their time, dedication and expertise to define the creative benchmark for the Festival’s 70th edition.”