MEPRA Celebrates 25 Years of Industry Excellence as 2026 Awards Entries Open

Dubai, UAE – 23 April – The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) has officially opened entry submissions for the 2026 MEPRA Awards. This year is particularly significant, as the association commemorates its 25th anniversary of championing the communications profession across the Middle East.

The MEPRA Awards, widely recognised as the regional standard for exceptional achievement in public relations and communications, will mark this special milestone with a grand celebration in Dubai on 26 November 2026. The prestigious event is anticipated to draw over 600 attendees, including leading industry figures, agencies, in-house teams, and partners.

To further enhance the prestige, credibility, and quality of submissions across all categories, the 2026 Awards feature several key improvements:
● Rigorously Structured Judging: Over 100 senior industry professionals from the region will serve on the diverse jury. An independent adjudicator(s) will oversee the process to review any inconsistencies and guarantee fairness..
● Refined Evaluation Framework: Updated criteria and a refined evaluation framework will encourage more strategic, impactful, and results-focused entries. Judges will apply a more structured scoring approach, consistent with the new standards.
● New Trophy Design: As part of the 25-year celebration, a new Awards trophy design, symbolising the evolution of the Awards and the future of regional communications.

Justin Kerr-Stevens, Chairman of MEPRA, commented, “The MEPRA Awards have spotlighted the individuals, teams, and campaigns shaping the Middle East’s communications landscape. Celebrating our 25-year milestone, we are proud to introduce enhancements that significantly strengthen the integrity, transparency, and prestige of the Awards. These changes reflect both the distance our industry has travelled and our ambitious outlook for its future.”

Entries are open to students, freelancers, in-house teams, and agencies throughout the region. Submissions will be evaluated across a comprehensive range of categories, covering sectors, campaigns, and individual professional excellence.

MEPRA extends its gratitude to its esteemed partners for their continued support, including Diamond Partner Memac Ogilvy, Gold Partner Weber Shandwick, Silver Partner BayerMiddle East, Category Partner Telum Media (for Best Use of Media Relations – B2B), and supporting partners First & Ten Productions, Burson, and Matrix Public Relations.

Further details regarding categories, entry guidelines, and deadlines are available at www.mepra.org/awards