2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

Qatar Shell and its long term partner Qatar Petroleum are committed to supporting the human development and environmental pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030. This includes educating young Qataris and encouraging them to contribute to the development of the fastest growing economy in the world. Getting the younger generation interested in subjects like science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a challenge for every society today. Qatar Shell and Qatar Petroleum in association with the Qatar Tourism Authority set out to present a national science festival to inspire youngsters to consider technical careers and choose technical subjects.

The Brief

The event was a celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to inspire young Qataris with the idea of STEM careers, the ultimate objective being to increase the number of higher education students studying STEM subjects. The challenge is to engage young visitors and interest them in those subjects through an enjoyable, fun experience designed with their needs in mind. In other words, make the kids the stars and inspire them to imagine what it might be like to be a scientist, engineer, inventor, one day.

How the final design was conceived

Kids of all ages love a hero. We created a team of ‘super-heroes’: five characters inspired by STEM subjects. These invited young visitors to discover their own super power and then ‘Join The Energy Generation’. The five characters - Designer, Engineer, Connector, Inventor and Adventurer - featured in a pre-event integrated advertising campaign and a series of digital mini-games positioned throughout the experience. We developed a vivid and colourful illustrative style drawing on the established vernacular of US comic book superheroes. This emphasised the fun, active aspects of the event and hinted at the exciting adventures to be enjoyed when you ‘Join The Energy Generation’. The main compositional element was a grouping of the five characters, presented in a way which defines their individuality while positioning them as a united team, ready for all kinds of energy adventures. This approach enabled us to produce dramatic, attention grabbing visuals that worked across channels and on-site.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The event attracted 22,332 visitors in total, including 5052 student visitors through the school engagement programme. Two thirds of visitors were under 16 years of age. 91% of students aged 12+ found the activities made STEM more interesting; 86% of teachers rated the event as inspirational in encouraging students’ interest in STEM; 92% of the general public were likely to encourage their child or younger family members to take STEM subjects at university or college, post event. 94% of both teachers and the general public were likely to attend future editions. The event attracted 3500 social media page ‘Likes’; over 300,000 ‘click-throughs’ to the website through social media; and generated QAR 1M media value generated (USD 350k).