Dragons of MENA brought together its inaugural winners, agencies, clients, partners and industry guests in Dubai on 29 October for the programme’s first physical gathering, held at Cinema Akil at 25hours Hotel One Central.

Around 100 guests attended, from more than 50 agencies and specialist communications businesses, alongside clients, brands, in-house marketing teams, winners, partners and selected media. The morning included an Alliance of Independent Agencies Middle East session, followed by a screening of selected winning work from Dragons of Asia and Dragons of MENA, trophy presentations and informal networking.

The inaugural Dragons of MENA attracted entries from seven markets across the Middle East and North Africa, with winning work representing six countries: the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

The winners reflected a broad cross-section of the marketing communications industry, including advertising and PR agencies, experiential and specialist businesses, consultancies, independent teams and brands entering their own work.

Momentum ME was named the inaugural Dragons of MENA Agency of the Year, with its No Paws Left Behind campaign for MARS UAE receiving two Gold Dragons, one Silver Dragon and two Black Dragons across the programme.

Other Gold-winning work came from The Romans UAE, Clockwork Bahrain, Amber Communications UAE, The Global Advisors Public Relations Consultancy UAE, Bullseye Middle East, inDrive Egypt and inDrive Morocco.

Julián Hernández, MENA Partner, Dragons of MENA, said:

“The industry has changed, but most award programmes haven’t changed with it. Great work now comes from all kinds of agencies, specialists, independents, in-house teams and brands, and not all of them have the same access to enter and compete. That is why it is exciting to see Dragons of MENA creating a platform where more of the people actually making the work can participate and be recognised.”

He added:

“Wider access does not mean easier recognition. The judging is rigorous and not everything gets awarded. The Social Media category this year had no winner, because the work did not reach the required standard. For Dragons, the standard is the whole piece: the thinking, the idea, the execution and the result.”

The Dubai gathering followed the 26th Dragons of Asia Awards in Kuala Lumpur on 16 October, where five organisations from the MENA region were also recognised against work from across the wider Dragons of Asia programme.

The Romans UAE received the Blue Dragon for Best Campaign in the UAE for Porsche x The Black Mambas, as well as a Bronze Dragon in Innovative Idea or Concept and a Black Dragon in Public Relations.

Bullseye Middle East received Silver in Business and Trade Marketing for Doha Bank. Card for Champions, while Amber Communications UAE received Bronze in Artificial Intelligence for The Big Shack Shout Challenge.

Live Lab Marketing UAE received a Black Dragon in Event or Experiential for From Osaka to Riyadh. Two Cities Under One Sky, while Northbourne Advisory Qatar received two Black Dragons, in Public Relations for Mapping Disruption and in Innovative Idea or Concept for Gulf Event Cancellations Tracker.

Mike Da Silva, Founder and Chairman of Dragons of Asia, said:

“One of the most encouraging things about the first Dragons of MENA has been seeing work from the region go on to compete successfully on the wider Dragons of Asia stage. MENA campaigns stood alongside work from across Asia and earned Blue, Silver, Bronze and Black Dragons. That is a strong indication of the quality of work coming from the region and exactly why extending the Dragons programme into MENA made sense.”

Nick Walsh, Founder and Chief Executive of Migrate and Regional Partner of the Alliance of Independent Agencies Middle East, said:

“There’s an incredible amount of talent and creativity across the Middle East’s independent agency community, but too often the best work doesn’t get the visibility it deserves. That’s why we’re delighted to support Dragons of MENA. By making recognition more accessible to all agencies and specialist teams, we’re helping ensure great ideas, great client work and impactful results are celebrated on merit, not on the structure of the agency behind them.”

Dragons of MENA is an extension of the 26-year-old Dragons of Asia programme. Entries are judged by international judging panels across four criteria: strategy, concept, execution and results.

David Paysant, Chief Growth Officer at Momentum ME, said:

“Strategy, cultural understanding and a purpose the brand actually believes in. That is what makes work effective here, and it is what No Paws Left Behind was built on. Good to see a programme judge the whole thing rather than just the idea.”

The programme was designed with an accessible entry model, with a single A$200 entry fee (approximately US$140) covering eligible entry into both Dragons of MENA and Dragons of Asia.

For 2027, Dragons of MENA plans to expand to 12 categories, open entries to more markets across the Middle East and North Africa, and work with partners and sponsors to grow its regional reach.

Hernández said:

“The first year was about proving the idea. The next is about making the programme more representative of MENA, bringing in more markets, more kinds of businesses and more good work that deserves the opportunity to compete.”

Industry support

The inaugural Dragons of MENA has been developed with the support of a growing group of industry partners across the region:

• Industry Partner: Alliance of Independent Agencies Middle East
• Media Partner: AdForum
  Knowledge Partner: Activation Ideas
• Content Partner: Thinklab Communications
• Education Partner: RAY Dubai Advertising School
• Hospitality Partner: 25hours Hotel One Central
• Powered by: Unthinkable Creative

Hernández added:

“This first year has only been possible because people across the industry were willing to support the idea, open doors, give advice, contribute their time and help us bring people together. We want to keep building Dragons of MENA in that same spirit, with the industry, not simply for it.”

The trophy presentations were led by Nick Walsh, Regional Partner of the Alliance of Independent Agencies Middle East; Santiago Cuesta of RAY Dubai Advertising School; and Sandra Manzano of Unthinkable Creative. The morning was hosted by Jola Chudy, Founder of Jola Chudy PR, who served as MC for the inaugural Winners Showcase.