The Middle East’s public relations and communications industry gathered in Dubai last week as the 17th edition of the MEPRA Awards announced its 2025 winners, recognizing the campaigns, agencies and practitioners shaping the region’s fast-evolving communications landscape.
Held on November 27, the ceremony brought together more than 600 industry leaders and professionals, marking a milestone year for the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) as it assessed innovation, strategy, creativity and measurable impact across the sector. More than 700 entries were submitted across 55 categories, reflecting growing competition and rising standards within the industry.
Weber Shandwick MENAT emerged as the most awarded agency of the night, securing 26 trophies, followed closely by Gambit Communications, which collected 18 awards across popular categories. The Chairperson’s Award was presented to Scott Armstrong, founder of Mentl, for advancing mental health advocacy, while Brian Lott of Mubadala Investment Company was named Best Communicator of the Year for his role in shaping the organisation’s global brand narrative.
Other individual honours included Tala Majzoub of Havas Red ME, who received the Dave Robinson Award for Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year, and Fathimath Nooha of Murdoch University, recognised for Outstanding Student Campaign.
Agency accolades saw Weber Shandwick MENAT win Large Agency of the Year, Current Global MENAT named Medium Agency of the Year, and The Romans taking Small Agency of the Year. Current Global MENAT also won Best ESG Campaign, while Soul Communications claimed Best Retail Campaign for its “Drinkable Billboards” initiative.
Artificial intelligence featured prominently among winning work. Acorn Strategy and Ruya Bank won Best Professional Services Campaign for the UAE’s first fully AI-generated banking campaign, while IBM and Weber Shandwick MENAT secured Best Technology Campaign. Current Global MENAT and Leo Burnett won Best Use of Artificial Intelligence.
Country-level honours went to Qatar Foundation (Qatar), BPG Group (Kuwait), Weber Shandwick MENAT (Egypt), Gambit Communications (Bahrain and Oman), and Current Global MENAT, which swept awards for Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Speaking at the event, MEPRA Chairperson Kate Midttun said the awards had become a key benchmark for excellence, highlighting a year defined by “creative resilience and strategic agility” across the communications sector.
Entries were judged by more than 130 industry experts. Gambit Communications served as Diamond Partner, with TAQA as Platinum Partner and Weber Shandwick MENAT and CARMA as Gold Partners.
