Dubai Lynx has named the UAE Government Media Office its 2026 Advertiser of the Year, marking the first time a government entity receives the honour. The recognition follows 220 awards in five years, including major wins at Dubai Lynx and Cannes Lions.
For an industry built on brands, briefs and bottom lines, the decision by Dubai Lynx to honour a government institution as its 2026 Advertiser of the Year signals a shift in how creativity itself is being understood in the region. The UAE Government Media Office, often seen as the custodian of the nation’s global narrative, now stands formally recognised as one of the most creatively ambitious advertisers in MENA — not for selling products, but for shaping perception, pride and possibility at scale.
The accolade, announced by Dubai Lynx, the MENA region’s leading platform celebrating creative excellence and effectiveness, marks the first time a government body has received this recognition. Over the past five years, the UAE Government Media Office has amassed 220 awards across regional and global stages, including 32 honours at Dubai Lynx and Cannes Lions. The numbers are impressive, but the deeper story lies in how a public-sector entity learned to operate with the imagination, rigour and storytelling craft typically associated with the world’s most daring brands.
The award will be presented to Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at the UAE Government Media Office, at the Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony at the Emirates Golf Club on 1 April. For many in the creative community, AlShehhi’s presence on that stage will symbolise more than an institutional win; it will reflect the evolution of government communication into a discipline that rivals commercial advertising in cultural relevance and executional brilliance.
Philip Thomas, Chairman of Dubai Lynx, credits the Office with reshaping how the UAE is perceived globally. He points to its “bold thinking and cinematic storytelling” as proof that creativity, when applied at national scale, can drive meaningful impact. Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman of Dubai Lynx, goes further, calling attention to the business value of such creative communications and how campaigns rooted in culture and people can influence investment, tourism and international perception.
That transformation did not happen overnight. Campaign after campaign has demonstrated the Office’s ability to merge cultural insight with technological innovation and emotional storytelling. ‘Double Moon’, created with MullenLowe MENA, used technology in a striking way to amplify the UAE’s milestone in space exploration. The campaign went on to win a Silver Outdoor Lion at Cannes Lions in 2021 and the Grand Prix in Brand Experience & Activation at Dubai Lynx in 2022, setting the tone for how the Office would approach national storytelling — ambitious, contemporary and globally legible.
The same year, ‘It’s Possible’, developed in collaboration with Virtue Worldwide, earned the Entertainment Grand Prix at Dubai Lynx, while ‘The Warm Winter Livestream’, produced in-house, secured a Bronze Media Lion at Cannes Lions. The latter was particularly significant: it showcased not just the Office’s strategic clarity but also its growing internal creative muscle, signalling that government communication could be produced with the sophistication of an agency-led campaign.
Momentum continued into 2023 with ‘Empty Plates’, created with Saatchi & Saatchi ME. The campaign won eight Lynx Awards, including two Grands Prix in Healthcare and Social & Creator, and later received a Bronze Health & Wellness Lion at Cannes Lions. This marked the Office’s third consecutive Cannes Lions win, underscoring a consistency rarely seen even among multinational brands with vast marketing budgets.
Behind these campaigns lies a philosophy that treats communication not as information dissemination but as cultural participation. The UAE Government Media Office has approached its role as a storyteller for a nation that is rapidly redefining itself on the world stage — from space exploration to humanitarian outreach, from tourism to tolerance. Each campaign is designed not merely to inform, but to evoke pride among citizens and curiosity among global audiences.
Central to this journey has been Khaled AlShehhi, whose leadership has been repeatedly recognised by the industry. Named Advertising Person of the Year at Dubai Lynx in 2023, AlShehhi represents a new kind of marketing leader in the public sector — one who speaks the language of creativity as fluently as that of policy and governance. His influence reached a new milestone in 2025 when he became the first Cannes Lions juror from a government entity, a precedent that signalled how seriously the global creative community now regards public-sector work emerging from the UAE.
This trajectory has helped blur traditional distinctions between commercial and governmental advertising. Where brands aim to build equity and drive sales, the UAE Government Media Office has demonstrated that governments, too, can build equity — of reputation, trust and aspiration. Its campaigns often sit at the intersection of culture, innovation and social purpose, making them as relevant to juries in Cannes as they are to citizens at home.
For Dubai Lynx, recognising the Office as Advertiser of the Year is also a statement about the evolving nature of creativity in MENA. The region’s creative economy is no longer defined solely by consumer brands; it now includes institutions that understand the power of storytelling to influence economies, societies and global standing.As the awards ceremony approaches at the Emirates Golf Club, the moment promises to be symbolic. In celebrating the UAE Government Media Office, Dubai Lynx is acknowledging a broader truth: that creativity today is not confined to selling products, but is instrumental in shaping how nations present themselves to the world. And in that arena, the UAE Government Media Office has proven itself to be not just a participant, but a pioneer.
Discover more from Creative Brands
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
