Dubai Lynx, the must-attend annual Festival and Awards for MENA's creative branded communications industry, has now launched for 2020. The Festival, taking place on March 8 – 11, 2020, celebrates the creativity and innovation that drives commercial growth for brands and businesses across the Middle East and North Africa. The Lynx Awards, which are judged during the Festival, are the definitive benchmark for creative excellence in the region. The Creative Strategy Lynx Award is new for 2020 and honours how strategic planning can redefine a brand, reinvent a business or influence consumers and culture. The Print & Outdoor Craft Award has also been revamped and renamed Industry Craft to celebrate the creative artistry, talent and skill required to deliver a beautifully executed solution and bring a creative idea to life. Dubai Lynx will also introduce new jury guidelines in 2020, in collaboration with the UN Women Unstereotype Alliance. The new guidelines, to be introduced across all awards, are designed to encourage every jury member reviewing entries to consider whether the work perpetuates negative stereotypes and inequalities and supports the Festival's commitment to encourage diversity and inclusion throughout the regional industry to impact the wider world. Daniel Seymour, UN Women Director of Strategic Partnerships, said The Dubai Lynx Awards are hugely important in benchmarking excellence in the MENA creative industry. The introduction of the ‘unstereotyped judging criteria' puts the issue of stereotypes at the heart of the creative process and ensures all awarded work passes the ‘unstereotyped' test." The MENA creative community has thrived on the global stage in recent years and continues to excel. This success was showcased by the region's first Grand Prix win at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2019. The highest accolade was honored in the Print and Publishing Lions for The Blank Edition, by Impact BBDO Dubai. A unique version of Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar, The Blank Edition, used blank pages to protest the ongoing political gridlock in the country, and was praised by the jury for its bold demonstration of creativity to help freedom of press. Speaking about their Cannes Lions win, BBDO Dubai's Creative Director, Tres Colacion, said, "There is still so much power in print. It doesn't have to be one way; people can make it theirs." Commenting on the launch, Thea Skelton, Festival Director, Dubai Lynx, said, "MENA is one of the world's most dynamic, innovative and rapidly evolving regions, where creativity and innovation are driving business growth across a range of sectors. It's so exciting to launch the 2020 Dubai Lynx, where the regional creative community come together to celebrate, learn and be inspired. The Festival is also delighted to partner with the Unstereotype Alliance on the new jury guidelines. There has been a notable shift in attitudes towards gender representation across the region and it's time to propel this forward, from the ground up." An inspiring line-up of speakers will bring the content to life across the four-day Festival and the first names on the program will be revealed in January 2020. Dubai Lynx has now opened for Award entries and the winners will be honored and celebrated at an evening Awards Ceremony on March 11, 2020, during the Festival. Delegate passes are now for sale. Further information can be found at https://www.dubailynx.com/ — SG
