Noora Al Qassimi shares her experience at the 2012 Cannes Lions

The Roger Hatchuel Academy is the only place in the world where a select group of international students can meet, see the best work in advertising from across the globe and learn from inspirational industry leaders, to help them become the great advertising professionals of the future. This years selected UAE candidate was Noora Al Qassimi, a graduate student at American University of Sharjah. Following her progress at Cannes Lions intently, we asked her what she thought about her time at Cannes Lions: “Being at Cannes Lions was an amazing experience to say the least. There was so much going on everywhere that there was never a dull moment. Whether its seminars from global ad agencies/brands, or workshops held all over the Palais.” During my first day at Cannes Lions, I learned more about advertising than I did during four years of university. Before the week was over I knew that I had to come back next year.” said Noora. “I hope that universities start arranging trips to Cannes. Watching the case studies in class does not compare to the experience or knowledge the students could gain from attending the festival’.

To view more images from Nooras photos ,click here

Part of the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Young Lions Competitionis open to advertising professionals up to 28 years of age. The participating teams, comprising an art director and copywriter, are selected through a pre-selection process in their respective countries.

A jury panel comprising executive creative directors from Dubai’s Creative Club has named Gautam Wadher and Akhilesh Dwarkadas from Fortune Promoseven as winners of the UAE Young Lions 2012. The duo was selected out of 15 teams from creative agencies based in the region.

Each year, the participating teams design a campaign for a social cause based on a creative brief. Emirates Wildlife Society in association with World Wide Fund for Nature is the partner NGO for 2012.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world’s global meeting place for professionals in the communications industry. It features seven days of award ceremonies, seminars, workshops, master classes, exhibitions, screenings and networking. The 2012 edition of the festival will be held from 17-23 June.

Mohammad Abdullah, Managing Director, TECOM Investments Media Cluster, said: “There is immense talent in the UAE that has to be given a direction and platform for growth. At Dubai Media City, we constantly support and identify opportunities that drive this development. This competition provides an opportunity to these young professionals to display their abilities and interact with media professionals.”

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Group, said: “As a group, we have been supporting this competition for ten years and take pride in providing these young creative professionals with an opportunity to represent the UAE at the Cannes. Their participation at such a renowned industry competition has raised their benchmark of quality for competing on a global level.”

Nicolas Delaunay, Director Business Development and Marketing, EWS-WWF, said: “It is rewarding to see young creative minds contribute to raising awareness about environmental causes. EWS-WWF extends its appreciation to the participating teams for their creative efforts to help spread the message of our Marine Turtle Conservation Project. We also thank the Motivate Group and Dubai Media City for inviting us to participate in the Young Lions Awards. EWS-WWF looks forward to a continued engagement with the creative community in the UAE.”

Winners of the Young Lions Competition received certificates at the official UAE Young Lions Awards ceremony. The gold winning team will be sent on an all-expense paid trip to Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity where they will participate at the International Young Lions competition and attend seminars and workshops featuring global industry leaders.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world’s largest celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international annual advertising awards, an average of 25,000 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the festival.

The UAE Young Lions Competition was supported by Gallo/Getty Images and Xerox.

During the competition, young creative teams from across the UAE will showcase their talent by designing print campaigns for a social cause. The annual event is held to identify the team that will represent the UAE in the International Young Lions Competition, held during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This year’s festival takes place between 17 and 23 June.

Each competing team at the UAE Young Lions Competition consists of an art director and a copywriter under the age of 28. The partner NGO and their social cause will be revealed on competition day. The brief is then shared with the participants who showcase their skills by producing a print ad within nine hours.

The work will then reviewed by a team of jury members from the Creative Club, whose members comprise of Executive Creative Directors from various advertising agencies in the UAE. The panelists will select the winners (Gold, Silver and Bronze).

The team winning Gold will then be sent on an all-expenses-paid trip to the week-long Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity where, not only do they get a seat on the International Young Lions, but also a chance to attend various seminars and workshops.

In addition, the Festival also invites senior creative professionals to interact with these Young Lions from across the globe, and transform their time spent at the Festival into a life-changing experience. Winners at the international festival receive the highly sought-after Medals, which is a matter of great pride and honor.

The announcement of winners is scheduled on 9^th April 2012, 6:00pm at the Dubai Media City Offices (Building 2, DMC) and the artworks will be on display from  8^th – 12^th April 2012 at the Dubai Media City Offices.

The event is supported by Gallo Images/Getty Images and Xerox.

For more information, visit www.uaeyounglions.com, or follow @UAEYoungLions on Twitter.

Dubai: 16 May, 2011 –

Part of the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Young Lions Competition is open to advertising professionals up to 28 years of age. The participating teams, comprising an art director and copywriter, are selected through a pre-selection process in their respective countries.

A jury panel comprising of executive creative directors from Dubai’s Creative Club has named Josephine Younes and Nayaab Rais of DDB Dubai as winners of the UAE Young Lions 2011. The duo was selected out of 12 teams from leading creative agencies. Each year, the participating teams design a campaign for a social cause based on a creative brief that outlines the campaign’s objectives. The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with World Wide Fund for Nature is the partner NGO for 2011.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is truly the world’s global meeting place for professionals in the communications industry. It offers seven days of award ceremonies, seminars, workshops, master classes, exhibitions, screenings and networking. The 2011 edition of the festival will be held from 19-25 June.

Jamal Al Sharif, Managing Director, Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City, said: “Young professionals in the UAE are constantly looking for platforms, both local and international, to display their abilities and interact with media professionals. The Young Lions Competition is an excellent opportunity to showcase the UAE advertising industry’s promising talent on the world stage.”

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner, Motivate Group, said: “Having hosted this competition for nine years we are pleased to be able to give so many young creatives the opportunity to compete for a place in the team that will represent the UAE in Cannes. We replicate the exact environment in which the competition is held in Cannes so that our winners have the best possible chance of success when competing there against teams from around the world.”

Winners of the Young Lions Competition are presented their certificates on stage at the official UAE Young Lions Awards ceremony and receive free flights courtesy of Emirates, registration and accommodation for this year’s festival.

The International Festival of Creativity – Cannes Lions – is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international annual advertising awards, over 24,000 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the festival.

The UAE Young Lions Competition was supported by Gallo/Getty Images and Xerox.