The 2015 Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity continues to highlight the importance of nurturing future talent through its student competitions; The Masar Student Creative Award for Print and the Integrated Student Award. This year the competitions expand to honour the universities that support and mentor students throughout the year.
The inaugural University of the Year Competition will incorporate the results from both the Masar Student Creative Award for Print and the Integrated Student Award. Students with shortlisted and winning entries from both competitions will be awarded points for their universities. The school that accumulates the most points will be honoured as the most creative university in the MENA region.
“Providing opportunities for new talent to be exposed to today’s industry experts is vital to recruiting and retaining tomorrow’s leaders”, says Emma Farmer, Festival Director of Dubai Lynx. “Through the student creative awards young hopefuls can present their skills and gain an invaluable experience to network with top creatives at the Festival. The new University of the Year Award recognises and honours the university that best fosters and promotes the creativity of its students.”
Now in its second year, the Integrated Student Award Competition, with its chosen charity The Angel Appeal, requires entrants to promote awareness of the charity and increase the number of donors and supporters through both traditional and social media. The Angel Appeal is a project by the Mission to Seafarers which aims to improve the lives of seafarers by providing support and welfare to seafarers in the UAE. Students create an integrated campaign to build upon the current Facebook following and use two other forms of media to engage interest, direct traffic to the website and promote support and donations throughout the UAE and further afield. The competition is now open for entries and closes on 3 December 2014.
The brief for this year’s Masar Student Creative Award for Print Competition was set by chosen charity Dubai Cares. Working to improve children’s access to primary education in developing countries, Dubai Cares aims to create greater awareness of the importance of education as a solution to breaking the cycle of poverty. Students are challenged to create an advert which will increase awareness of the cause and inspire members of the UAE community to take action. The advert can be produced in both Arabic and English and should include a call to action for supporters to sign up and donate. Entrants can submit a campaign from now until 3 December 2014 via www.dubailynx.com. Commenting on Masar Printing and Publishing’s continued sponsorship of the competition, Faisal ben Haider, Executive Director of Printing and Distribution, DMI said, “We are proud to launch the 3rd edition of the Masar Student Creative Award for Print for 2015. As with the last edition we are honoured to grant students the opportunity to take advantage of the many ways that exist to explore the unfamiliar in creativity and innovation. This competition symbolises Dubai’s aspirations and vision on supporting education and creativity. Also I would like to pass this message to every participant – prepare yourself for the challenge, excitement and inspiration.”
Ramsey Naja, Chief Creative Officer, JWT MEA presides over this year’s carefully selected jury of experts from across the region, who will judge both competitions. A member of JWT’s Worldwide Creative Council, Naja has been engaged with a wide range of presenting and judging positions throughout his career.
The competitions are free to enter and open to students in full time education aged 25 years and under. Entries are currently being accepted online with a final deadline of 3 December 2014. All shortlisted submissions will be exhibited at the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, attended by industry experts and top creatives from the region. Winners will receive a ticket to the Festival, which includes the cost of flights and accommodation, along with the unique opportunity of having their skills and talent on show at the Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony, which brings the Festival to a close on 11 March 2015. Further information, including the rules and full briefs, is available at http://www.dubailynx.com.