2015 Winners & Shortlists

Creative Execution

We created www.unitedhands.me by starting with the most nationalistic emblem we knew: our map. Starting with Google Maps, we designed the website as a simple tool where the visitor could sign in with either Facebook or Twitter to become a part of the virtual human chain. Once signed in, the visitor could then pin themselves to the growing human chain and leave their personal message to Lebanon and their fellow citizens. They could then choose to share their action, which led to an organic social media spread of the site's activity.

In a matter of days, United Hands had spread across social media - not just within Lebanon but also throughout the Lebanese community abroad. Over 7,800 people joined hands, including celebrities, politicians, and even the ex-Prime Minister. Then on November 30th, the online initiative inspired a real life human chain. Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens gathered on the coast to join hands in the name of unity, making headline news on all major local TV channels and newspapers, as well as regional and international news outlets, as one of the largest human chains in Middle East history.

Beirut Celebrations is a non-partisan institution, building dialogue within the population by creating inclusive and purely nationalistic events, usually around the time of Independence Day. In a year, where the national day had been overshadowed by the growing divisions within Lebanon, Beirut Celebrations knew that this year had to be marked differently. With national unity facing complete destruction, citizens were on edge of where our country was headed. By creating a portal where they could, with a simple click of a button, feel a sense of unity in an all but hopeless time, our target audience was given the opportunity to mark their Independence Day with a renewed pride, as opposed to the anger and helplessness that was currently being felt.