Record 155 Entries Submitted for the 2014 MEPRA Awards

Projects submitted from across the Arab world; Shortlists announced and winners honored at the MEPRA awards gala on the 25th November

Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, 11 November: In a sign of the growth of the Middle East’s public relations industry, the Middle East Public Relations Association has received 155 entries for the seventh edition of its MEPRA Awards. The number of entries is a record for the MEPRAs, the only public relations and communications-focused awards in the Middle East. Entries have come in from across the region, including from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, for sixteen different categories.  

“We’re delighted that we’ve not only received more nominations this year, but the quality and the scope of these entries has grown as well,” said Carine Duvignaud, MEPRA’s General Manager. “This year’s competition is a testament to the role now played by public relations and communications in shaping the opinion of consumers, the public, governments and other stakeholders.”

The shortlists for the MEPRA Awards was announced yesterday, the 2nd of November at 5pm UAE time. The award winners will be made public on Tuesday the 25th of November at the annual MEPRA Gala Dinner. The sixteen categories for which nominations were received include Best Integrated Campaign, Best Use of Social Media, Best Use of Sponsorship, Best Launch Live Event Stunt, Best Use of Media Relations, Business to Business, Consumer goods, Corporate Reputation & Image, Consumer Services, Corporate Responsibility, Health Care & Services, in-house team of the year, Internal Communications, Outstanding young communicator of the year, Government Communications and Agency of the Year.

“There’s been an increased focus this year on areas such as social media, internal communications and corporate responsibility, which mirrors what we have seen in other regions,” added Duvignaud. “The role of public relations and communications is expanding, and we’re seeing that these areas are being used by agencies and their clients to create conversations and sustain dialogue with key stakeholder groups. The MEPRA awards are meant to promote best practices and as a platform to share knowledge and experiences. The judging has been exceptionally difficult this year, and we’re all now looking forward to honoring the winners at the end of November.”