The 26-year-old Dragons Awards programme is expanding into the Middle East and North Africa region, with the launch of Dragons of MENA in Dubai later this year.
Entries have opened for the new results-focused marketing communications awards programme, which is an extension of the PMAA Dragons of Asia Awards. Established in 2000, the Dragons of Asia is regarded as one of the industry’s leading effectiveness-led awards platforms, with satellite programmes already operating in Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The expansion comes amid growing demand from agencies and brand owners across the MENA region.
In its inaugural edition, Dragons of MENA will feature 10 categories. Eight of these are drawn from the Dragons of Asia Awards, while two new categories have been introduced to reflect regional priorities: Nation, City & Place Impact, and Faith, and Arabic Culture & Seasonal Communications.
Entries will be judged on four criteria — strategy, concept, execution and results.
Mike Da Silva, Founder of The Dragons of Asia said: “The Gulf and wider Middle East represent some of the fastest-growing and most creatively vibrant markets in the world and expanding the Dragons here is a significant moment for us.
“Our ambition is to bring the entire creative community together, from long-established consultancies to the independent agencies doing exceptional work that too often goes unrecognised. Dragons of MENA exists to change that.”
The organisers said the new programme aims to recognise campaigns that deliver measurable business outcomes such as sales growth, behaviour change, loyalty, customer acquisition and brand development.
Entries are open to agencies, brand owners, government entities, NGOs and in-house marketing teams across the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Qatar and Kuwait.
Eligible campaigns must have run between January 1, 2025 and June 15, 2026.
Organisers said the programme also addresses a gap in categories such as promotional marketing, PR, experiential, activation and shopper marketing, where effectiveness is a key measure of success.
A single entry fee of AU$200 (about US$140) will cover submissions to both Dragons of MENA and the Dragons of Asia Awards.
Entries will close on June 15, 2026 through the official website. The Dubai awards event is scheduled for September, with venue and event partner details to be announced later.
