Dubai Lynx, a prominent creative festival and awards program organized by Cannes Lions, announced its annual winners at an awards ceremony on Wednesday in Dubai.

WPP-owned VML was crowned Network of the Year followed by BBDO Worldwide and McCann Worldgroup.

Omnicom-owned Hearts & Science was awarded Media Network of the Year followed by other Omnicom agencies OMD and PHD in second and third.  

Other special awards included MENA Agency of the Year, which went to creative firm Impact BBDO Dubai followed by FP7 McCann Dubai and BigTime Creative Shop Riyadh.

The latter was also named Independent Agency of the Year. Serviceplan Middle East in Dubai and Abdullah & Shokri in Cairo ranked second and third respectively.

Saudi Arabian brands and agencies bagged a total of seven Grand Prix trophies in several categories. Some of the winning campaigns included “Birthmark Stories” for HungerStation by VML; “5 vs 5” for Riyadh Season by BigTime Creative Shop; and “The Second Release” for Billboard magazine by SRMG Labs.

“​​This year, we’ve seen a compelling shift towards content that not only engages and entertains but also effectively drives business results,” Marian Brannelly, Lions’ global director of awards, told Arab News.

New sub-categories such as Use of Humor received 3 percent of all entries while the creator-focused categories within the Social & Influencer category received 14 percent of all entries.

Brannelly said that “humor played a big role” this year, “tackling even sensitive topics and giving campaigns a fresh and relatable feel.”

She added: “It’s also commendable to see work that not only evokes emotions but also clearly communicates the brand’s message and product value through compelling storytelling.

“Balancing purpose with commercial impact is crucial, and this year’s winners have showcased how to do it.”