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.