Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Craft Jury

• Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman & Regional ECD APAC, McCann Erickson Worldgroup, India – Jury President
• Richard Brim, Creative Director, Leo Burnett, UK
• Valérie Chidlovsky, Senior Copywriter, BETC Euro RSCG, France
• Bridget Johnson, Creative Director, Ogilvy, South Africa
• Simon Langley, Executive Creative Director, 303 Sydney, Australia
• Scott Lewis, Executive Creative Director, JWT, USA
• Eric Schoeffler, Chief Creative Officer, Tribal DDB, Germany

• Armin Jochum, Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt, Germany – Jury President
• Ben Callis, Creative Director, SapientNitro, UK
• Dagan Cohen, Executive Creative Director, Draftfcb, The Netherlands
• Ghislain de Villoutreys, Executive Creative Director, JWT, France
• Connie Lo, Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett, Hong Kong
• Damian Royce, Creative Director, Clemenger BBDO, Australia
• Pipo Virgós, Creative Director, Shackleton, Spain

• Mike Cooper, Worldwide CEO, PHD, Global – Jury President
• Eric Bader, Chief Strategy Officer, Initiative, USA
• Kristian Barnes, Group Managing Director, MPG/MediaContacts, Australia
• Davy Caluwaerts, Creative Communications Director, Zenith Optimedia, Belgium
• Gowthaman Ragothaman, Leader – South Asia, Mindshare, India
• Amanda Koutra, Managing Director, Carat, Sweden
• Jochen Lenhard, Managing Director, Mediaplus, Germany

• Rodney Fitch, Founder of Fitch, Rodney Fitch Ltd., UK - Jury President
• Henrique Cayatte, Designer & Teacher, Henrique Cayatte Design, Portugal
• Francis Gosset, Strategic Planning Director, Malherbe Design, France
• Richard Hart, Design Director, Disturbance Design, South Africa
• Claudia Neri, Design Director/President, Teikna Design, Italy
• Barbro Ohlson Smith, Creative Director, Ohlsonsmith, Sweden
• Bhupal Ramnathkar, Founder & Chairman, Umbrella Design, India

• Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman & Regional ECD APAC, McCann Erickson Worldgroup, India – Jury President
• Armin Jochum, Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt, Germany
• Mike Cooper, Worldwide CEO, PHD, Global
• Rodney Fitch, Founder of Fitch, Rodney Fitch Ltd., UK
• Simon Langley, Executive Creative Director, 303 Sydney, Australia
• Bridget Johnson, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, South Africa
• Scott Lewis, Executive Creative Director, JWT, USA

To further enhance and complement the creative advertising and communications awards of the 4th Dubai International Advertising Festival, a new Design category will be added in 2011, chaired by the distinguished designer Rodney Fitch CBE, founder of Fitch and Professor of Retail Design at TUDelft University, Holland.  The Design category will honour the creative and innovative use of design for brand and product communication and development.

Categories will broadly include Packaging Design, Brand Identity and Environmental Design with entries being rewarded for Strategy, Creativity, Execution and Results.

"Design is a fundamental element in advertising and is at the heart of consumer engagement, so it's appropriate that we should include Design to sit alongside all the other categories currently judged and awarded at the Dubai International Advertising Festival," says Steve Lane, Dubai Lynx Festival Director, on the introduction of the new category.

Welcoming the appointment of Rodney Fitch, Philip Thomas, Festival CEO, comments, "We are delighted to be working with Rodney again. He chaired the inaugural Cannes Lions Design Jury for us, and therefore the launch of the Design category at Dubai Lynx could not be in better hands. Known for his brilliant work in Design throughout his impressive career, Rodney will be bringing a wealth of knowledge to the judging process."

During a distinguished profession in design that has spanned nearly forty years, in which he founded and built his now WPP owned design firm Fitch into a truly global agency, Rodney now works as an independent practitioner, consultant, advisor and academic. In recent years he has enjoyed significant involvement with the emerging retail industry in SE Asia and India.

Rodney Fitch has for long been identified with innovative retail design and in 1990 Phaidon published his book 'Fitch on Retail Design' which has become one of the standard texts on this subject. He is passionate about Design being an integral component of successful business strategy.

Rodney has served as a member of the Design Council and as a past president of the Chartered Society of Designers, Cannes Lions and D&AD. In 2005 he was inducted into the Legion of Honour and Hall of Fame of the American Institute Design, the most prestigious award in retail design for an individual, and in 2006 was a finalist for the Prince Philip Designer's Prize. He was awarded a CBE in 1990 for services to the British Design industry. He is also very active in the development of design education.

Rodney Fitch commenting on his role said, "Since Design is at the very heart of all creative work, I'm naturally delighted that it is now an integral part of the Dubai Lynx Festival. It is a very great honour to be the inaugural President and I look forward to working with my distinguished fellow jurors and to seeing some exceptional and original work both from the region and beyond."

Entries are now open for all categories - Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Media, Direct, Sales Promotion & Activation, Interactive, Craft, Design and Integrated advertising. For information about the 2011 Dubai International Festival, register to attend or submit entries, please go to www.dubailynx.com.

Dubai Media City partners with Dubai Lynx, distributing 125 student registrations to entrants of the Ibda’a awards. This opportunity allows students to benefit from the various festival activities including seminars, screenings, exhibitions and workshops among top industry professionals. This initiative is intended to support and encourage the next generation of creative talent. Winning work from Ibda’a Student Awards will be showcased at the Dubai Lynx Festival.

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