UPDATED: Dubai Lynx announces first jury members; two Romanians in PR jury

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, Festivals & Awards, PR

(adds statement from IAF representative in Romania)

Dubai Lynx, festival and awards for the creative communications industry in the Middle East and North Africa, has released the first 28 names that will make up this year’s juries.

This year, 2 Romanians are part of the PR jury: Gabriela Lungu, Chief Creative Officer Weber Shandwick UK & EMEA and Monica Jitariuc, Managing Director The Practice Romania.

Teodora Migdalovici

 The fact that 2 Romanians will judge PR at Dubai Lynx is a big compliment given to local industry and to its reputation as trends creator. At personal level, it is a confirmation that the investment of attention, energy and strategy in promoting PR as a category at Cannes, in order to offer an expression form to Romanian PR too, was an inspired one, with good consequences at the level of all other festivals in IAF portfolio and beyond them

Teodora Migdalovici,

IAF Representative in Romania

The juries announced by Dubai Lynx are:

Direct, Promo & Activation, Interactive and Mobile Jury

  • Andy DiLallo, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Sydney, Australia – Jury President
  • Christian Fritsche, Creative Director, Scholz & Friends, Germany
  • Ivo Roefs, Managing Partner, DDB & Tribal Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Jordan Atlas, Executive Creative Director, Ignited, USA
  • Josh Moore, Executive Creative Director, Y&R, New Zealand
  • Matthew Ryan, Creative Director / Zoo, Google, EMEA
  • Rickard Villard, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Brindfors, Sweden

Design Jury

  • Bjorn Kusoffsky, CEO / Creative Director, Stockholm Design Lab, Sweden – Jury President
  • Celina Guimaraes, Head of Design, MCSaatchiabel, South Africa
  • Dan Beckett, Head of Art / Partner, Chi+Partners, UK
  • Katie Taylor, Executive Creative Director, Landor Associates, Germany
  • Laurent Collangettes, Managing Director, Lonsdale Design, France
  • Jochem Leegstra, Partner, Creative Director, . . .staat, The Netherlands
  • Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman, Vyas Gianetti Creative, India

PR Jury

  • Gabriela Lungu, Chief Creative Officer, Weber Shandwick, UK & EMEA – Jury President
  • Aída Hernández Pulido, New Business Development & Digital PR Director, Marco de Comunicación, Spain
  • Cesare Valli, President & CEO, Southern Europe, Hill & Knowlton Strategies, Southern Europe
  • Joakim Jonasson, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, A World Beneath, Sweden
  • John Saunders, Regional President, EMEA, FleishmanHillard, EMEA
  • Monica Jitariuc, Managing Director, The Practice, Romania
  • Paresh Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer, Madison Public Relations, India

Branded Content & Entertainment Jury

  • Philippe Meunier, Creative Chief, Co-Founder, Sid Lee, Canada – Jury President
  • Jaime Rosado, VP, Regional Creative Director, JWT, Puerto Rico
  • Jordan Atlas, Executive Creative Director, Ignited, USA
  • Mark Bullingham, Managing Director, Fuse Sport & Entertainment, EMEA
  • Mark Waugh, Global Managing Director, Newcast Worldwide, Global
  • Matthew Ryan, Creative Director / Zoo, Google, EMEA
  • Pablo Muñoz, President / CEO, Draftfcb, Spain

We’re delighted to have this global collection of specialists joining us and we are excited to see the creative benchmarks that are ultimately set as a result of their judging. We look forward to welcoming them all to Dubai in March.

Philip Thomas,

CEO Lions Festivals

Entries for Dubai Lynx are open and submissions can be made through the website until 6 February.  Dubai Lynx takes place from 9-11 March, with the Awards Ceremony & Dinner happening on 12 March.

The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity is the leading competition and awards for advertising creative excellence in the Middle East and Africa

Presented by Lions Festivals together with their regional partners, Motivate, the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, is held in association with the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and with the support of Dubai Media City (DMC).

The 7th Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity will bring to the Middle East and Africa a series of high profile seminars, workshops, exhibitions and screenings aimed at giving creative inspiration, learning and networking opportunities to the advertising and allied industries in the region. The Academies, The Young Lynx Competitions and Networking evenings are amongst the events enjoyed by participants.

The Dubai Lynx awards, which are part of the Festival, will honour creative excellence in Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Direct, Promo & Activation, Media, Interactive, Film Craft, Print & Poster Craft, Design, Mobile, PR, Integrated and Branded Content & Entertainment advertising and communications.