PRCA MENA – the regional arm of the world’s largest professional PR association – has announced the winners of the PRCA MENA Young Lions PR Competition 2025: Raneem Saleeh and Youssef Yammine from Burson, for their powerful and purpose-driven campaign titled “Believe in your 2.5%.”The winning team clinched the top spot after a competitive final round held on 15 April, where six shortlisted teams presented their ideas to a distinguished jury comprising industry leaders from across the MENA region. Their campaign stood out for its strategic creativity, thoughtful storytelling, and strong alignment with this year’s humanitarian theme.The jury for the final round included:• Ahmad Itani, Chair of PRCA MENA Advisory Board and Founder & CEO, Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy• Laureline Schwarz, Head of Global Corporate Communication, PR, Public Relations, Al-Futtaim Automotive• Louise Jacobson, Managing Partner, Brazen MENA• Raefah Makki, Head of Individual Giving & Campaigns, UNHCR• Sophie Simpson, Managing Director & Founder, Ruder Finn AttelineThis year’s brief was developed in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and challenged participants to craft a compelling campaign that raises awareness and drives advocacy for displaced communities across the region.As winners, Raneem and Youssef will go on to represent the MENA region at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France this June.Conrad Egbert, Head of PRCA MENA, commented:“It was a tough decision for the jury; each campaign was impactful, innovative, and deeply rooted in purpose. Congratulations to Raneem and Youssef from Burson for their exceptional work—we can’t wait to see them shine at Cannes.”Raefah Makki, Head of Individual Giving & Campaigns at UNHCR, added:“This year’s partnership with PRCA MENA was a significant step in leveraging the power of communication to amplify the voices of displaced people. ‘Believe in your 2.5%’ captured that vision beautifully, and we are excited to see how it resonates on a larger stage.”The 2025 competition saw participation from 46 young professionals representing 12 leading agencies across the region, including: Action Global Communications, BPG Group, Burson, Cosmopole Consultancy, Current Global MENAT, Gambit Communications, Houbara Communications, Memac Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi Qatar, Seven Media, The Romans, Weber Shandwick MENAT.

The Official Representative of the Cannes Young Lions PR Competition PRCA Mena has revealed the six teams that have made it onto the shortlist. Last week 23 teams, each consisting of two PR professionals from the region, aged 30 or under, had a pressing 24-hours to respond to a brief set by this year’s humanitarian partner, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.The brief challenged participants to develop a campaign that would raise awareness, increase downloads and drive donations for UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund Mobile App—an innovative platform designed to make Zakat giving more accessible, transparent, and impactful. The brief stated, “our challenge remains increasing awareness of our RZF app, downloads and number of users who donate through the app.”The final shortlist includes:• BPG Group – Rua Youssef & Rayana El Masri• Burson – Raneem Saleeh & Youssef Yammine• Cosmopole Consultancy – Nithin Narayanan & Meena Shahin• Gambit Communications – Tala Maas & Hana Sabri• Seven Media – Neimat ElKarib & Tala Abu Eid• The Romans – Cham Alatrach & Katie Bell-WrightOn 15 April 2025, the shortlisted six teams will present their ideas to the esteemed Mena jury with the winners announced on 16 April 2025. The winning team will go on to officially represent Mena in June at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that will be held in the south of France.This year’s esteemed jury includes:• Ahmad Itani, Founder & CEO of Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy • Laureline Schwarz, Head of Global Corporate Communication, PR, Public Relations, AlFuttaim Automotive • Louise Jacobson, Managing Partner at Brazen MENA • Raefah Makki, Head of Individual Giving & Campaigns, UNHCR• Sophie Simpson, Managing Director & Founder of AttelineConrad Egbert, Head of PRCA Mena, said:“We’re absolutely blown away by the level of creativity and passion that each team has demonstrated in this year’s competition. A huge thank you to our esteemed jury for committing their precious time and effort to us and to the UNHCR for partnering with us on such a meaningful brief. Best of luck to the finalists—we look forward to your pitches.”PRCA Mena continues to champion the region’s rising talent, offering young professionals unparalleled opportunities to shine on the global stage.