For the third year running, Facebook (Facebook.com) is sponsoring the annual Facebook Challenge as part of the Student Category at The Loerie Awards 2018 - Africa and the Middle East’s premier award that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the advertising and brand communication industry. During Loeries Creative Week, Facebook and Instagram will also host a series of workshops, hackathons and activations for the creative community – including advertising students – and a special event for women in marketing.

For this year’s student challenge, Facebook partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross to provide a creative brief on helping to tackle the cholera crisis on the continent. Students from across Middle East and Africa were challenged to create an impactful mobile-first campaign for Facebook and Instagram that educates at-risk communities around preventing the spread of the disease. Facebook’s Creative Shop team also provided ongoing support to students entering the category, tutoring and mentoring them in understanding how to create 'thumb-stopping' mobile content that grabbed the users eye.

As part of the competition, the winning team will be crowned 'the Facebook Challenge Winners of 2018' and will also be provided with an all-expenses paid trip to Loeries Creative Week to collect their coveted award, at an exclusive ceremony on 17 August. The final campaign will then be featured on Facebook and Instagram. 

“Digital plays a huge part in all of our lives, and to make the most of it, creative agencies across Africa need to continue to tap into creative talents that understand building for the digital age, and the needs of the next billion users coming online,” said Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director at Facebook Africa. “Our partnership with The Loeries for the third year running, reinforces our commitment in nurturing young, creative and diverse talent, who are passionate about creating powerful mobile-first campaigns that resonate with users.”

Last year's Facebook Challenge winners – Peni Buckton, Lunje Jwambe and Claudia Bester from AAA Advertising School in Cape Town – worked on a campaign for The Nelson Mandela Foundation to tackle gender diversity. Their winning concept, Everyday Armour, saw them create a series of fashion ads encouraging women to buy items such as a ring that can spray pepper, or a pair of high heels that can also be turned into a self-defense weapon, highlighting the fact that women should not be “dressed' to be ready for assault.