ENTRIES OPEN FOR INAUGURAL ARABIC COMMUNICATIONS MEPRA AWARDS

MEPRA (Middle East Public Relations Association) announced a call for entries for its inaugural Arabic Communications MEPRA Awards – a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Middle East that seeks to recognise and celebrate the brightest, boldest and bravest campaigns and professionals in Arabic communications.

The premier Awards programme was developed to shine a spotlight on impactful Arabic content and highlight the importance of the Arabic language in the communications industry within the Middle East.

This, according to MEPRA is in line with its goal to achieve its vision of being the unique voice that represents the public relations and communication profession in the Middle East and its mission to raise awareness and build a holistic understanding of public relations in the region.

The Arabic MEPRA Awards will include 26 categories including a special focus on the most notable work produced in response to COVID-19. All entries must be focused on Arabic-centred campaigns; the outputs must have been published or delivered in Arabic and all written entries must be submitted in Arabic.

The programme is open to all Middle East-based agencies, corporates, government organisations, academia and non-profits working in the communications profession. The first-ever Arabic MEPRA Awards Winners will be announced on 16 June 2022.  This will also be the first time that the MEPRA Awards ceremony will be hosted in Arabic since its inception.

Taryam Al Subaihi, Executive Director – Corporate Communications, and MEPRA’s first Emirati Chair said: “One of my top priorities as MEPRA Chair has to been to create a closer connection between our organisation and the Arabic -speaking communication professionals and community. There are countless examples of world-class communication campaigns and initiatives in the Arabic language that deserve to be honoured and recognised. The pioneer Arabic MEPRA Awards will set out to achieve just that, allowing us to shine a light on Arabic-speaking communication professionals and their work and celebrate their work amongst the communications community.”

Entries can be submitted for best campaigns in geographic markets across the Middle East; technical skills, such as video, media or social media work; services including government communications, internal communication; people and teams; plus, a special focus on COVID-19 responses including social impact campaigns and best creative approach. All entries must be for work substantially completed between April 1, 2021 and April 16, 2022.

The deadline for awards submissions is Saturday, April 16, 2022, with finalists to be announced by Sunday, May 22, 2022. Entries will be assessed by a panel of local and regional Arabic-speaking industry experts, with an independent adjudicator set to review the judging process.

MEPRA delivered a record breaking year in 2021, with its largest surge in memberships since the association was formed, recording a 200% increase in new members and a 20% increase in total members compared with 2020.  MEPRA trained more than 1400 communication professionals through 27 free MEPRA Academy virtual workshops held exclusively for MEPRA members. In its 13^th edition, the MEPRA Awards was the largest of the MEPRA Awards since its inception, with an astonishing 639 entries, 179 more entries received than in 2020.