The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) launched its National Student Pitch Challenge to recreate a real-life, intense work environment. PR and communication students in the UAE will be invited to represent their universities and compete against their peers for the chance to win a prize package valued at more than AED 18,000 and take the Student Pitch Challenge trophy from previous winners, Middlesex University.
In teams of five or less, students will be given just a few hours to respond to a communications brief set by Emirates Literature Foundation and take part in a live virtual pitch to a panel of senior industry professionals who will select the 2021 MEPRA Student Pitch Challenge title, winner. Ahead of the pitch challenge, participants will hear from senior practitioners on how to dissect a brief and develop a communications strategy before the brand team delivers their brief.
MEPRA chair and head of Corporate Communications at EWEC, Taryam Al Subaihi said:
“The MEPRA Student Pitch Challenge was developed to recognise and reward the communications talent of the future. It’s a chance to provide students with a glimpse of life as a communications professional and apply their learnings from the lecture halls. Adding the virtual element to this year’s event also mirrors how we have had to adapt in the real working environment.”
“No matter where you end up working, we are all required to pitch creative ideas under time-pressured environments. This event allows students to test their skills and receive invaluable feedback from industry leaders.”
Previous MEPRA Student Pitch Challenge winner and now Public Relations & Influence Account Executive at Memac Ogilvy, Sneha Sivanand said:
“I immensely enjoyed the experience and learned what it takes to create a winning pitch under pressure and against a tight deadline. The competition not only acts as a steppingstone to expectations we must meet in the real world but simultaneously gives competitors an insight into the everyday life of a PR professional.”
The MEPRA Student Pitch Challenge is an interactive virtual event split over two days, filled with mini-workshops, an opportunity to impress senior industry professionals and learn with like-minded students from other universities.
The prize includes MEPRA membership, tickets to the MEPRA Majlis, REMAP, 2021 MEPRA Awards, plus free MEPRA Academy training for one year. The winning university will also receive the MEPRA Student Pitch Challenge trophy, engraved with the new title winners, to display for one year.
To find out more or to register, visit mepra.org/students
