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New York Festivals Advertising Awards Announces 2022 Grand Jury: NYF Debuts Creative Ambassador Program and Taps TBWA\Chiat\Day’s Dotun Bello as First Ambassador

New York Festivals International Advertising Awards® (NYFA) has announced the 2022 Grand Jury. New for 2022 NYF debuts its new Creative Ambassador Program and partners with Dotun Bello, Senior Copywriter for TBWA\Chiat\Day as the first ambassador.

New York, NY | January 20, 2022

New York, NY – January 20, 2021: New York Festivals International Advertising Awards® (NYFA) has announced the 2022 Grand Jury.

NYF’s global Grand Jury is comprised of ground-breaking industry creatives from 56 countries. The 2022 jury panel includes chief creative officers, executive creative directors, art directors, copywriters, executive producers, social media, and public relations pros who all review entries and play a pivotal role in selecting the World’s Best Advertising®.  

“New York Festivals is honored to have these respected creatives share their industry experience on the 2022 Grand Jury,” said Lauren Murray, Associate Executive Director, New York Festivals. With more than 300+ industry innovators on board to date, 2022’s jury panel represents a diverse range of creative talent who will lend their perspective to determine the 2022 Advertising Awards Shortlist.”  

New for 2022 NYF debuts its new Creative Ambassador Program and partners with Dotun Bello, Senior Copywriter for TBWA\Chiat\Day as the first ambassador. The initiative launched by Lauren Murray, Associate Executive Director of NYF’s Advertising Awards provides an opportunity for NYF to shine the spotlight on emerging and established talent represented by the Creative Ambassador Program. NYF’s Ambassadors will be showcased via NYF’s platforms during the competition and serve on the 2022 Grand Jury.   

“NYFA’s Ambassadors will be our eyes and ears within the representative’s country. Working together with our team, they will introduce us to local creatives and agencies, and will be sharing exceptional creative work represented by their country,” said Murray.  “We look forward to spreading the word about this ground-breaking work through video interviews and social media posts, as well as offering each person featured a spot on our Grand Jury.”  

We are ecstatic to have Dotun Bello as the first Ambassador for this program as we go across the globe with him to highlight the creatives in Nigeria who are making a mark on the industry. 

“I was thrilled beyond belief when New York Festivals agreed to partner with me and created the Ambassador Program, giving folks with ties to smaller advertising communities the platform they need to show off their work and creativity,” said Dotun Bello, New York Festivals Creative Ambassador and Senior Copywriter, TBWA\Chiat\Day.  

Bello is a Brooklyn-based Nigerian creative who began his advertising career in Lagos before making his way to the US in 2015. With a creative career spanning 7-plus years, he is currently working in NYC and has created campaigns for such prestigious brands as Guinness, Bharti-Airtel, BMW, Xfinity, Louis XIII, Samsung, YouTube and many more.  

“Our industry has a knack for celebrating work that “rises to the top” without acknowledging that many smaller advertising communities don’t have equal opportunity to be highlighted,” added Bello.  

The 2022 Creative Ambassador Program launches this year and will feature creative talent from Lagos, Nigeria. The program and will expand to showcase work from talent-ripe communities around the globe.    

“There are many systemic rungs in place that make it near impossible for advertising professionals in smaller markets like Lagos to be seen and celebrated,” said Bello. “The goal is to highlight the best out of a creative industry that is truly ready to meet the rest of the world. I look to the music industry and the global successes of folks like Burna and Tems and I hope one day we come to appreciate that creativity can truly be found everywhere and doesn't have to look like anything we've seen before to be valued." 

Kicking off the Creative Ambassador Program this season, NYF’s Advertising Awards will feature in New for 2022 an interview with NYF Executive Jury President, Fede Garcia, BCW’s Global Chief Creative Officer and Ambassador Dotun Bello. Future interviews will shine the spotlight on Lagos creatives and emerging global talent.  

The New York Festivals Advertising Awards competition receives entries from more than 60 countries and are judged by more than 400 members of NYF’s Executive Jury and Grand Jury, who collectively cast their votes to select the year’s trophy-winning work. 

The 2022 Executive Jury and Grand Jury panel selection process is in progress. Executive Jury sessions will convene in June.  

The deadline to enter the 2022 New York Festivals Advertising Awards is April 1st, 2022. For more information on categories, rules and regulations or to review the 2022 entry guide visit: HERE. To enter your work, please visit: HERE.  

About New York Festivals: New York Festivals® Celebrating the World’s Best Work since 1957 

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Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com. 

Contact: Gayle.Mandel@NewYorkFestivals.com