Dubai, UAE – 25 March 2025: The Official Representative of the Cannes Young Lions PR Competition PRCA Mena has revealed the six teams that have made it onto the shortlist.
Last week 23 teams, each consisting of two PR professionals from the region, aged 30 or under, had a pressing 24-hours to respond to a brief set by this year’s humanitarian partner, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
The brief challenged participants to develop a campaign that would raise awareness, increase downloads and drive donations for UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund Mobile App—an innovative platform designed to make Zakat giving more accessible, transparent, and impactful. The brief stated, “our challenge remains increasing awareness of our RZF app, downloads and number of users who donate through the app.”
The final shortlist includes:
- BPG Group – Rua Youssef & Rayana El Masri
- Burson – Raneem Saleeh & Youssef Yammine
- Cosmopole Consultancy – Nithin Narayanan & Meena Shahin
- Gambit Communications – Tala Maas & Hana Sabri
- Seven Media – Neimat ElKarib & Tala Abu Eid
- The Romans – Cham Alatrach & Katie Bell-Wright
On 15 April 2025, the shortlisted six teams will present their ideas to the esteemed Mena jury with the winners announced on 16 April 2025. The winning team will go on to officially represent Mena in June at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that will be held in the south of France.
This year’s esteemed jury includes:
- Ahmad Itani, Founder & CEO of Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy
- Laureline Schwarz, Head of Global Corporate Communication, PR, Public Relations, AlFuttaim Automotive
- Louise Jacobson, Managing Partner at Brazen MENA
- Raefah Makki, Head of Individual Giving & Campaigns, UNHCR
- Sophie Simpson, Managing Director & Founder of Atteline
Conrad Egbert, Head of PRCA Mena, said:
“We’re absolutely blown away by the level of creativity and passion that each team has demonstrated in this year’s competition. A huge thank you to our esteemed jury for committing their precious time and effort to us and to the UNHCR for partnering with us on such a meaningful brief. Best of luck to the finalists—we look forward to your pitches.”
PRCA Mena continues to champion the region’s rising talent, offering young professionals unparalleled opportunities to shine on the global stage.
About PRCA Mena
PRCA Mena is the regional arm of the largest public relations and communications association (PRCA) in the world. It was established in 2016 with the aim of raising standards in PR and communications. Representing more than 35,000 PR professionals in 82 countries worldwide, the PR authority is a global advocate for excellence in public relations. The PRCA’s teams across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific work with industry professionals around the world to co-ordinate operations across six continents.
For more information visit: https://prca.mena.global/