Shortlisted Entries Include Janet Jackson, 11 Minutes, Peaky Blinders, and 2022 A Capital Fourth

New York Festivals® TV & Film Awards 2023 competition announced the Shortlist. This year's TV & Film Awards competition received entries across 14 category groups from 43 countries worldwide from Argentina to Qatar to the United Kingdom.

Captivating content created by storytellers and filmmakers from around the world was judged online by NYF's TV & Film Awards Grand Jury panel.

Shortlisted entries included content in primetime entertainment, documentaries, investigative journalism, sports coverage, promos, streaming media, and brand image films.

For 2023, Documentary work was in the spotlight with the Grand Jury moving 200+ documentary entries to Shortlist status. View the 2023 Shortlist.

Documentaries created by global storytellers advanced to the next round including "Janet Jackson" Banajay Rights &Workerbee and AEC for Lifetime and A+E, "11 MINUTES" All Rise Films & Paramount+, "Drain The Oceans: The Amber Room" National Geographic, "Saving Venice" All3Media International & PBS, "Betty Skelton: Boundless" Fox Sports Network, "Keep on Dancing" ABC TV Australia, "Shelter - Innocents Under Fire" GloboNews," A Sense of Community" Al Jazeera English, "American Ocelot" Terra Mater Studios GmbH, "One at Heart, Jessica Soho: Eleven" GMA Network, Inc., "Diana & Dodi: The Princess and the Playboy" All3Media International & Paramount+, "Rebuilding Notre-Dame: The Next Chapter" Windfall Films & NOVA, "Naked - Sex and Gender: 1. Born Equal, 2. Finally Grown Up" German Television ZDF, "Homeland" Voice of America, and "Why Buildings Collapse" Windfall Films & Discovery US.

Entertainment content in multiple genres including Comedy, Crime Drama, Culinary, Drama, Mini-Series, Telenovela, and Variety advanced. Shortlisted entries include "Peaky Blinders" Banajay Rights, "2022 A Capitol Fourth" Capital Concerts, "The National Lottery's New Year's Eve Big Bash" TBI Media, "Das Boot, Season 3" Bavaria Fiction & Sky Studios, "Staged 3" Infinity Hill/GCB Films & BritBox, "The Secret" Televisão S.A., "Duckrockers" South Pacific Pictures, "Abba v Queen" Stanza Media Limited, "El Marginal 5" Telemundo Streaming Studios/Underground Producciones & Netflix, "Dear Santa, The Series" Traverse32, and "Tiga Hari Ke Korban/Three Days Before the Sacrifice" Mediacorp Pte. Ltd.  View the 2023 Shortlist

Broadcast Journalism shined a spotlight on world news and headline topics. Al Jazeera, Broadcaster of the Year in 2022, moved ahead with their documentary series focusing on world issues Al Jazeera Investigations, Talk to Al Jazeera In the Field, the network's flagship interview show featuring Conversations with global leaders, icons and alternative voices shaping our times, and 101 East, Al Jazeera English's investigative journalism series. Prominent companies advancing include ESPN, CGTN, Voice Of America, GLOBO TV, Green Bean Media, NHK, Antena 3 CNN, ARTEAR S.A., Alhurra Television, and Phoenix Chinese Channel.

Sports Promos enticed viewers to tune in. Entries Shortlisted include "B1G Story: Brands Brothers Trailer" Big Ten Network, "Paralympics 2022" ZDF, "World Cup - An Immortal Story" TV GLOBO, "UCL Goosebumps are Back" beIN SPORTS Asia, and "Gold Goal" TyC Sports.

Entertainment Promos advanced including "David Attenborough: Life in Colour" BBC Studios, "Tom Cruise´s Movies Stunt on AXN" Sony Pictures Entertainment Creative Center Iberia, "The Great Australian Bake Off" BBC Studios, and "Zoom In" Phoenix Satellite Television Company Limited. View the 2023 Shortlist.

Corporate Image Films championed prominent global brands. Shortlisted entries include "Disney Channel Brand Refresh" for The Walt Disney Company, Europe & Africa, "Vulnerable People" The Edge Picture Company (a Zinc Media Group company) for Network Rail, "Leather 101" Media Zoo Ltd. for Burberry, "Three Generations Of Customers" Kaleidoscope Productions for Lexus, "Heavy Metal Electric" Stark Film AB for Volvo, "Star Trek Day 2022" for Paramount+, "Hyundai Digital Dealer Conference 2021 - New Horizons" Brandscape GmbH for Hyundai Motor Deutschland, and "Mitie Forte" Casual Films for Mitie.

For 2023 NYF will award the second annual WaterBear Award. The prestigious WaterBear Award honors the highest scoring documentary across the Climate Change & Sustainability, Environment & Ecology, and Nature & Wildlife categories. WaterBear Network's CEO Ellen Windemuth, TV & Film Awards Advisory Board and Executive Producer of My Octopus Teacher will select the winner of this exclusive award.

All Entries in the 2023 competition were screened and judged online by the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe.

2023's award-winning entries will be announced during the New York Festivals 2023 Storytellers Gala virtual event taking place on April 18th at 6PM EST.

View the 2023 TV & Film Awards Shortlist HERE. All award-winning entries will be showcased on the TV & Film Awards winner's gallery.

Global: The most popular shows—and new series—of 2022

New hits, old favorites and spin-offs led us through another year of streaming TV.

The return of modern classics in the forms of a Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, and Amazon Prime Video’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power and an abundance of returning series appear to be big reasons why many people worldwide tuned into streaming services in 2022.

Using zero-party data from YouGov Safe’s fully opt-in, cross-device tracker, a new YouGov report uncovers the most searched, most binged, and most streamed movies and television programs, bringing to you the most popular TV shows globally. The titles are ranked by Appetite Score—an aggregate of indexed search volume and Wikipedia views for an entity.

With so many streaming players vying for viewers’ attention last year, you can find out who had the standout TV shows below.

The most popular series of 2022

Netflix content continues to dominate globally. Nine of the top 20 most popular global TV shows are Netflix originals, including the highly anticipated new seasons of Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Money Heist.

Other shows continue to prove their enduring popularity in global entertainment and culture. These include Friends, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Pokémon and The Simpsons.

The data also reveals that sports have cemented their role in streaming culture. The UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, are two of the most popular TV shows in our ranking.

Popular new series of 2022

There were plenty of new shows to keep track of last year and research reveals that some captured the attention of steaming audiences more than others.

Netflix again claims the most titles on our list of most popular new TV series, with 10 of the top 20 spots. Wednesday, a Netflix original, sits at the top of the list with a global appetite score of 91.66.

Several non-English TV shows also earn spots on the list, showing the global demand for both international titles and a range of different genres including anime (Ranking of Kings), South Korean romance (The Office Blind Date or Business Proposal) and zombie dramas (All of Us Are Dead).

Fresh shows from HBO Max such as House of the Dragon and Peacemakers and those from Amazon Prime Video like Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and Reacher were also popular among global audiences last year.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Andor were the two Disney+ titles to claim spots in YouGov's most popular new TV series in 2022.

Birth mothers can avail 20 weeks of paid leave, including one month before the birth of a child

Paid family leave of 6 weeks for all new parents, regardless of gender

Reduced work schedule options for primary caregivers as they transition back to work after parental leave

As the region strives to accelerate progress towards a gender balanced workforce, Amazon outlined its paid parental leave policy that benefits all employees across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, who have become new parents, regardless of gender. Reiterated in celebration of International Women's Day, the inclusive policy offers both parents who have completed one year of service, paid parental leave for up to 6 weeks within the first year following the birth of a child. Birth mothers can choose to add the 6 weeks of parental leave to their 14 weeks of maternity leave to avail 20 weeks of paid time off, including one month before birth, to focus on parenthood and the family.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President, Amazon MENA commented, “Amazon places great emphasis on providing its employees with meaningful options to balance their professional and personal commitments. We take pride in our pursuit to listen, implement and evolve our employee experience to ensure that all parents are supported to thrive both at work and at home. Our parental leave policies are another step to unleash the full potential of every person, regardless of gender. Achieving gender balance in the workplace is critical for the region’s economic growth and the key to creating a thriving and sustainable society.”

As Amazon supports its employees back to its office sites across MENA, the policies underscore Amazon’s continued commitment to assist working parents in creating the right harmony between home life and work life. As part of a broader benefits package for new parents, Amazon also provides a “Ramp-Back” program that offers primary caregivers eight consecutive weeks of flexibility and partial work hours as they adjust to work schedules as new parents.

“A parent’s return-to-work plan after the birth of a child is just as important as the leave itself. Our ‘Ramp-Back’ program allows new parents to ease their transition back to the workplace and customize their schedules, giving them the flexibility to prioritize family responsibilities as they resume work following their parental leave. Amazon’s parental leave policies are designed with the broader view of easing the burden on primary caregivers, by providing parental benefits to both parents. We aim to support families with the time and space to focus on their child, giving them the confidence that as an employer we fully recognize and support their journey during this special life-stage,” explains Bikram Walia, Director, Human Resources, Amazon MENA.

“Welcoming a new baby brings with it a whole host of adjustments both at home and at work. One of the things I appreciate most about Amazon is the support for maternity, which meant I could take up to five months of leave. My manager was very supportive in ensuring that this did not impact my career path and my team pitched in to help. My ramp-back program was customized so that I could devote the time that my baby needed, while still giving me the space to get back into the rhythm of work.” said Sonam Arora, Regional Category Leader at Amazon in the UAE, who spoke about her maternity experience.

Beyond parental leave, Amazon strives to enhance the employee experience for parents and primary caregivers by creating an inclusive work environment, nurturing a culture underpinned by empathy, and fostering a strong sense of employer and team support through various touchpoints:

Mothers’ Rooms: All Amazon offices and operations sites in the UAE include dedicated and equipped Mothers’ Rooms.

Frustration-free Leave Experience: To ensure parental leave applications remain frustration-free, a dedicated ‘leave services’ team is on hand to help plan and schedule parental leave, including ramp-back schedules.

Manager Trainings: All managers and leaders are empowered through trainings, resources and guidance to practice empathy and help expecting employees through this important life event and during the transition from pregnancy to motherhood and back to the workplace.

Community Networks: Amazon has a thriving community support network delivered through affinity groups such as the ‘Families@’ affinity group for working parents which shares knowledge, fosters career growth and cultivates community connections among parents, while advocating for policies for women with children.

Amazon’s commitment to the wellbeing of its employees ensures that employees are recognized for their work through valuable benefits for themselves and their families. The company’s parental leave policy demonstrates its support for employees through all stages of their lives.

Gerety Talks with Nicole Ellerton, Group Creative Director behind Cosette’s call for entries campaign for the Gerety Award's.

An All-Female Jury: A Powerful Perspective.

With more than 20 translations the viral campaign emphasises the power of having a different perspective. The kind of perspective the industry (quite literally) can’t get anywhere else other than the Gerety Awards jury. Cossette created a campaign that sought out to develop an idea capable of driving entries that are more diversified showcasing the value of an all-woman perspective without reinforcing old stereotypes.

In this episode of Gerety Talks, Nicole explains the creative process behind the campaign. Watch on Tuesday March 14th at https://www.geretyawards.com/gerety-talks-nicole-ellerton

The 2023 jury includes 190 judges from 40 different countries, open to all advertising agencies, advertisers, studios and production companies worldwide. Both national and international campaigns may compete. The only judging criteria is originality of the idea and creativity in its execution.

Named for Frances Gerety, the copywriter who in 1948 coined the slogan "A diamond is forever”. The Gerety Awards brings together a jury to select the best in advertising from a powerful perspective, creating a benchmark that is relevant to the market reality, all while redefining the standard to which advertising has traditionally been held. Analysing the work through the female lens.

Nicole Ellerton is a Group Creative Director at Cossette Canada and oversees work for Google Canada, YouTube and General Mills.

With more than 20 years in the business, Nicole has honed her skills and experience across multiple disciplines and industries with clients such as Ford, Air Canada, P&G, Walmart and Viagra to name a few. After initially getting her start as a graphic designer, she switched over to Art Direction after falling in love with the intersection of craft and visual storytelling. Nicole loves how no two days in this business are exactly the same and is constantly invigorated by the talent and insightful work the industry is forging in this fast-paced world.

Nicole's work has been recognized by all of the major award shows including Cannes, One Show, D&AD, Clios, LIAs, Communication Arts, ADCC and the Marketing Awards. She has been honored to lend her talent and experience to multiple judging panels such as Applied Arts, Marketing Awards and Lotus Awards. Nicole has also acted as a student mentor for the Miami Ad School

The 2023 Gerety Awards has a new deadline of April 14. An all-female jury. A powerful perspective.

7awi Media Group strengthens regional presence with a new branch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

7awi Media Group, the leading digital media platform in the Middle East and North Africa, announces today the opening of a new branch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The expansion of 7awi’s operations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a strategic move that strengthens the company’s presence in the region and opens new opportunities for growth. 

With millions of followers on its platforms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 7awi is well-positioned to provide even better solutions and services to clients and customers in Kingdom with the new branch. The company already has a strong audience following on its websites, social media and Snapchat in Saudi Arabia. With the expansion of its operations to the Kingdom, 7awi will be able to cater even better to its existing and new clients in Saudi Arabia.

“Expanding our operations to Saudi Arabia is an exciting milestone for 7awi,” said Anas Abbar, CEO of 7awi Media Group. “We are thrilled to be part of the thriving digital ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and are committed to providing innovative and engaging content and advertising solutions to our clients and customers. Our team is dedicated to delivering best in class digital solutions including advanced advertising solutions, ecommerce and content management system, branded and SEO content, video production, Alexa Skills and Snapchat Augmented Reality lenses to our clients and customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and contributing to the growth of the digital industry in Saudi Arabia.”

7awi operates several popular websites in Arabic and English. With a focus on innovation and engagement, 7awi provides a range of content and advertising solutions to connect brands with audiences across the region. 

Despite projections of global inflation falling in 2023, the threat of stalled recovery - in the face of worsening debt stress and growing geopolitical tensions - still looms large; and relief from the on-going global cost-of-living crisis may yet be distant.

Set against this backdrop, a recent YouGov Surveys poll explores the varying degrees to which consumers across the world continue to feel the pinch of rising prices across several product and service categories.

Data from the poll reveals that the chief category in which consumers in the UAE have noticed a ‘major’ or ‘minor’ price increase remains groceries (68%). However, there might soon be good news on the horizon as UAE-based food importers and retailers expect reduced shipping costs to finally reflect on food prices at the consumer level.

Another area of increased monthly expense is housing costs. Over three-fifths of consumers in the UAE (62%) say they have noticed an increase in housing costs like rent and mortgage payments. Other regular expenses like home energy bills (60%) and fuel for motor vehicles (59%) round up the top four categories where consumers in the UAE are noticing increased prices.

An equal proportion of consumers indicate that they have noticed higher prices when it comes to clothes and healthcare or pharmaceutical items (58% for both).

While just about a third of Britons (33%) and Swedes (32%) say they have noticed a rise in the prices of consumer electronics, at 56%, a significantly larger proportion of consumers in the UAE say the same. Similarly, more than half our respondents in the UAE (53%) have taken note of rising mobile phone network costs in contrast to markets like Denmark (33%).

Rising hotel costs have also made a much more noticeable impact on consumers in the UAE (50%) than they have on their North American counterparts (Canada, 45%; US, 34%).

Many consumers also indicate they are noticing price increases in several forms of entertainment, including out-of-home leisure such as cinema or concerts (52%), media streaming services (43%), and video games (33% - the lowest of all categories).

More gaming app marketers to prioritize profits over growth in 2023 as economic uncertainty impacts the market

AppsFlyer today released its State of Gaming App Marketing for 2023, an in-depth report on key gaming trends for app developers, marketers and game studios to utilize as they navigate through a year of challenging macro trends, including the new age of data privacy. 

As the post-Covid era unfolds, a digital slowdown, or return to pre-Covid conditions, is taking place. While the effects are becoming increasingly apparent in metrics like overall app installs by consumers, the gaming app economy still showed resilience with nearly $27 billion invested in ad spend by gaming marketers and developers worldwide in 2022 in order to acquire new users. Overall, Android game app installs rose slightly, by 8% compared to 2021, whereas iOS game app installs showed a small decline, with a 5% drop. Based on advertising investment, the United States remains the largest target market for gaming app marketers by a significant margin, followed by Japan, South Korea, Germany and the United Kingdom.

“If 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 was the golden age of gaming, the second half of 2022 and especially 2023 will be a time that marketers, developers and studios will need to overcome challenges to adopt highly-focused, efficient strategies for attracting and inspiring loyal, valuable players,” said Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Market Insights at AppsFlyer. “Evolving marketing budgets coupled with drops in consumer spending across some genres mean game businesses are compelled to prioritize profits over growing the sheer size of their numbers of players. Despite the hurdles, however, mobile gaming remains a lucrative powerhouse nearing three billion players globally. Marketers will continue to succeed by putting more focus on modern measurement capabilities, utilizing techniques that deliver an engaging experience while respecting user privacy, and leveraging remarketing and owned media channels further in order to offset increases in their cost-per-installs (CPI). Additionally, they will need to dive deep into the complex yet promising SKAN 4.0 from Apple, and invest more in campaigns outside of the United States, as gaming is truly a global phenomenon.”

As for gaming app revenues, the State of Gaming report reveals that consumers spent the most on in-app purchases (IAP) in role playing and social casino (not real money) games. Purchases in these game categories declined mostly in the second half of 2022, leading to an overall drop in IAP revenues by 7% compared to the first half of the year. The economic downturn appears to have impacted consumer behavior in high IAP genres of role playing and social casino more than other categories like match or puzzle games, which rely more on micropayments. In-app advertising (IAA) remained the strongest driver of revenues for hypercasual, match and simulation games, though IAA revenues also declined across most genres towards the second half of 2022. 

Key Insights from the 2023 State of Gaming App Marketing:

● $26.7 Billion total gaming app install ad spend worldwide in 2022. The US commands nearly half at $12.2B thanks to its high-volume and high-cost media landscape; Japan is a distant second with nearly $2B in spend.

● Worldwide, Android game app installs rose slightly in 2022, iOS game app installs showed a small decline. There was an 8% YoY growth in total app installs of Android games. A -5% YoY install drop on iOS reflects the continued challenges iOS app marketers are facing following Apple’s privacy changes (despite the improvement vs. the previous 2022-2021 YoY figure of -13%). In the US, still considered the most important market for gaming app marketers, 2022 saw a 19% growth in Android app installs and -1% decline in installs of iOS gaming apps when compared to 2021.

● The second half of 2022 in particular was a struggle for in-game purchases with the economic uncertainty in the market. There was a -7% overall drop in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue in H2 2022 compared to H1 2022, with iOS down 9% and Android down 4%. Overall, in-app purchases on Android gaming apps were down -14% year-over year (YoY), while iOS was down -1% YoY. This was driven largely by a decline in Role Playing and Casino game genres that typically have high rates of in-app purchases, and where the economic downturn appears to have impacted consumer spend.

● Categories that saw largest growth in 2022 vs. 2021: 48% growth rate for Android casino games, 3x more than second-place Hypercasual and 5x higher compared to the growth rate in puzzle and Role Playing games (RPG). Casino games led growth on the flagging iOS side, clocking an impressive 17%.

● Cost-per-installs on iOS continue to climb: 88% is the increase in CPI on iOS from Q1 2021 to Q4 2022, shooting up $3.75 per install as iOS marketers continue to accept high prices to acquire valuable Apple users. YoY rates show a 35% jump. 

● Marketers increasingly leveraging owned media channels: As marketers look to get more value out of their budgets, the use of owned media strategies such as push notifications, in-app messages and cross promotion is seeing a sustained rise. This has led to a significant YoY increase in the number of owned media conversions, with a 16% growth on iOS and a 34% surge on Android.

“As gaming marketers continue to navigate their way through a shifting economic landscape along with privacy changes, particularly on iOS, they face fresh challenges and opportunities in regards to their app marketing efforts,” said Adam Smart, Director of Product, Gaming. “Privacy restrictions on iOS limit the ability of marketers to leverage user-level data, which was previously the cornerstone of their ability to connect campaign performance to attracting new users. Yet despite a significant rise in media costs and measurement challenges, gaming apps are still investing heavily in capturing high-quality players on iOS, and are not shifting those resources to Android, even if the approach results in attracting fewer users overall. This gives greater importance to the use of privacy-enhancing tech and data clean rooms in 2023 and beyond, and will also provide advantages to those able to leverage accurate and comprehensive data for making the timeliest decisions on where, when and how to optimally invest budgets in ways that attract and retain the most valuable players.”

Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy and 3Gem Research & Insights launch the third edition of the annual regional corporate social responsibility survey report.

• Members from other countries nominated the UAE as the most active in CSR.

Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy (C&B), a leading MENA agency headquartered in Dubai, in partnership with 3Gem Research and Insights, a global research partner, is proud to announce the third edition of its annual MENA CSR Report 2022.  In recent years, countries in the Middle East have started to take significant steps towards fostering a culture of social responsibility, with the UAE and KSA leading the way in promoting sustainable and socially responsible practices. The 2022 report also highlights a positive change in sentiment among some previously low-scoring countries.

The survey engaged 314 C-level executives from nine countries across 12 industries in the MENA region, providing a representative sample of the business community, with respondents from companies of various sizes and sectors. The survey was designed to be comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics that are relevant to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) landscape in the region. As a result, the CSR MENA Report is a credible and solid source of information that provides insights into the perceptions and actions of business leaders in the region. 

The increased perception of the importance of CSR in the region, especially in the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, signals a significant shift towards a more sustainable and socially responsible business environment. This highlights the increasing recognition of the role that businesses can play in promoting sustainable development and the potential for these countries to lead the way in this area.

Key findings of the report:

• Overall efforts to increase CSR grew significantly in the UAE and the GCC compared to last year’s report, with over 90% of those surveyed being in tune with CSR’s definition and purpose.

 • Eight in ten UAE companies are planning to increase their CSR practices, with Egypt and the GCC now at a similar level, with over 65% of the companies, on average, actively tracking and enforcing CSR performance. 

• Managers in the UAE were more likely to strongly agree that investing in CSR activities has a long-term, net-positive impact on ‘my’ business’s bottom line (profits) compared to managers in the KSA. 

• Over 60% of UAE brands have experienced a tangible growth in consumer engagement as a direct result of increased in CSR activities.

 • 52% of KSA’s respondents believe that CSR activities improve consumer trust with brands and strengthen brand loyalty. 

Ahmad Itani, founder and CEO of C&B, said: “Through our report, we aim to drive further progress in sustainable business practices and to promote the role of businesses in fostering sustainable development. The growing recognition of CSR's importance in the region is a cause for optimism, and we are confident that our continued efforts will help build a more sustainable and socially responsible future for us all in the region. In the post-2020 era, as CSR continues to grow, it is heartening to see the UAE and KSA continue their paramount lead in regional CSR efforts and countries such as Egypt and Qatar meeting regional standards of CSR engagement and surpassing them in some ways. This is a testament to the efforts of governments and businesses in these countries in prioritising social responsibility and sustainability.”

Darren Ryan, global creative director – 3Gem Research & Insights, said: “We were delighted to partner again with Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy on the third MENA CSR Survey Report. It was encouraging that, consistent with last year’s report, the majority (three-quarters) of MENA companies plan to increase their CSR activities over the next 12 months, with a further fifth planning to replicate their CSR activities from last year. Also promising to discover, was that hardly any companies will be scaling back CSR activities. This latest edition offers valuable insights into how businesses continue to approach corporate social responsibility now and for the future.”  

Itani concluded: “The importance of CSR has never been more critical, and we are proud to have been a part of this journey and to have played a role in underpinning the consistently growing importance of CSR in the MENA region.”

The 20th edition of the esteemed UAE Young Lions Digital Competition witnessed 21 teams across 15 agencies compete on Saturday, 4th March 2023.

The Judging and Awards Ceremony followed on Wednesday, 8th March 2023, with Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros from and us winning Gold.

Adila Fataliyeva and Isha Sharma from Science and Sunshine secured Silver, while Haneen Chaarawi and Sebastian Galindo Rubiano from McCann Dubai and Rim Reda and Kezia Shamil from Leo Burnett tied for Bronze.

Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros 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 2023. 

This year’s client brief was from RoadSafetyUAE – an award-winning CSR & engagement program established in 2014, which serves as a communication, improvement, and education platform for all traffic participants in the UAE. Participating teams were challenged to develop a creative and innovative, ‘root cause’ based, long-lasting and universally true awareness campaign to help change the behaviour and mindset of young drivers in the UAE. 

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director, RoadSafetyUAE stated: "Young drivers represent about 50% of all road fatalities in the UAE and hence, this segment must be tackled by creating awareness for safe behavior, in a relevant manner. The team members of all twenty-one participating teams precisely represented the target audience, resulting in the creation of a series of genuinely insightful and pertinent campaigns that adhered to the guiding principle of “by them…for them!” As means of honouring the outstanding creative endeavors, it would be ideal for the agencies behind the twenty-one teams to engage their clients and invite them to adopt the cause of road safety, while also leveraging some of the innovative concepts presented in partnership with RoadSafetyUAE. We want to thank Motivate Val Morgan and Getty Images for organizing and supporting the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition 2023, as well as the team members and the agencies behind them for their commitment and hard work."

The jury panel for this year’s competition comprised of Girogia Fattoracci (Leo Burnett), Ingersol Jayakumar (Precise Communications), Andrej Arsenijevic (Commonwealth McCann), Steve De Lange (and us), Anton Marais (Publicis Middle East), Anshuman Bhattacharya (Havas Middle East), Claudia Canas (FP7 McCann), David Willett (Weber Shandwick), Jordache Fernandes (KEKO Dubai), Raja Rizkallah Nadim (Science & Sunshine), Saleh Elghatit (Serviceplan), Rodrigo Scapolan (TBWA\RAAD), Rita Harbie (Saatchi & Saatchi MEA), and Robert Habib (C2 Communications)

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, said: “This year has seen a notable increase in the number of entries, signifying the industry’s progress and resilience in the aftermath of the pandemic. I was mightily impressed with the quality of the work produced by the future of the creative industry. As always, it was extremely difficult to narrow down the top submissions but in the end there had to be a winning team – I want to congratulate everyone who put their all into the competition, but especially the winners, Jonathan Cruz and Saymon Medeiros from and us, who I’m sure will be great ambassadors during this year’s Cannes Lions event.”

Craig Elimeliah Leads World-Class Jury of Top Technologists; Latest Episode of NYF’s Content Series “Creativity From The Other Side” Features Craig Elimeliah

New York Festivals® Advertising Awards announced technology futurist and thought-leader Craig Elimeliah, CCO of Lippe Taylor as Chairman of “The Future Now” Executive Jury.

As Chair of the future-forward category group, Craig Elimeliah will lead the Executive Jury panel populated with cutting-edge trailblazers who will collectively and thoughtfully review the game-changing entries within “The Future Now” categories.

“We’re thrilled that this highly respected executive known for his technological foresight and ability to unlock growth through innovation will Chair “The Future Now” jury panel,” said Scott Rose, President, New York Festivals Advertising Awards Competitions. “Craig’s leadership ensures that inventive campaigns that creatively employ emerging technology effectively are recognized and awarded.”

“As I step into the role of Chair for the future-forward Executive Jury of the New York Festivals, I am humbled and elated. It is a rare opportunity to witness and recognize the best of the best in future-forward creativity, and I cannot wait to lead this group of industry experts towards that goal.

For me, creativity and innovation are not just about flashy campaigns or disruptive technologies. They must be grounded in a deep understanding of human behavior, culture, and business challenges. It is only then that we can apply innovation and creativity that are both familiar and differentiated, speaking to the hearts and minds of consumers in a way that is truly meaningful.

At the same time, we cannot forget the importance of earning trust through frictionless experiences. In today's world, attention is scarce, and consumers are more discerning than ever. We must strive to create human centered experiences that earn consumer’s attention and trust, putting their needs first and foremost.

So, let us celebrate the power of creativity and innovation, not just for their own sake, but for the good of humanity. I am honored to be part of this journey, and I cannot wait to see the amazing ideas and solutions that this year's festival will showcase,” said Craig Elimeliah, CCO, Lippe Taylor.

Craig Elimeliah brings nearly two decades of industry experience and an unrivaled passion for culture, technology, science, and data to “The Future Now” judge’s table.

As Chief Creative Officer at Lippe Taylor, Craig leads multi-talented teams with a vision to tackle complex challenges head-on, through the art of culture, design, and creativity and how they merge with creativity, craftsmanship, and storytelling.

With a focus on the future, he seamlessly blends new and unconventional approaches to connect brands with customers, resulting in captivating experiences that redefine categories, embed culture, and disrupt the status quo.

David Sable, host of NYF’s flagship content series “Creativity From The Other Side” sat down with Craig Elimeliah for an insightful discussion about his new leadership role at Lippe Taylor, exploring creativity at speed, teaching clients to embrace new technologies, orchestrating creative elements, and staying ahead of the curve, and more. View the riveting episode: HERE.

The 2023 NYF Advertising Awards Executive Jury and Grand Jury panel selection process is in progress.

The early bird deadline to enter the 2023 New York Festivals Advertising Awards is March 10, 2023. For more information on categories, rules and regulations, visit HERE.To enter your work into the 2023 Advertising Awards, visit HERE.

The New York Festivals Advertising Awards competition receives entries from more than 60 countries worldwide and is judged by an international jury of more than 400+ members of NYF’s Executive Jury and Grand Jury. NYF’s jury panels collectively cast their votes to select the year’s trophy-winning work.

About New York Festivals: New York Festivals® Celebrating the World’s Best Work since 1957