The results of one of the MENA region's major awards ceremonies are now in. 
 
Leo Burnett Beirut and JWT Dubai both won eight prizes at the MENA Cristal festival, held in Mzaar, Lebanon, last week. Leo Burnett Cairo and JWT Beirut also scooped four awards apiece, while Leo Burnett Dubai and OMD Saudi Arabia each won three.

Included in these totals are the festival's most prestigious prizes, the Grand Cristals, six of which were handed out this year.

Leo Burnett Cairo scooped the top award for the film category. JWT Dubai went one better, winning both the promo & direct and magazine Grand Cristals, the latter for a series of audiobook ads for Virgin Megastore, tagged "Give your eyes a rest".

 

Leo Burnett Beirut won the Integrated Grand Cristal for its work for P&G, and the Outdoor Grand Cristal for this campaign for local broadcaster Fatafeat TV.

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The sixth Grand Cristal, in the media category, went to JWT Beirut.

Looking ahead, the results (available in full here) could also prove a useful pointer to the other major upcoming MENA event, the Dubai Lynx awards, entries for which close later this week (February 11th).

The MENA Cristal festival was opened by ex-USSR premier Mikhail Gorbachev. Jury presidents were John Merrifield, creative at large for TBWA/Asia Pacific and Roy Haddad, chairman and ceo at JWT MENA.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Burley, executive creative director for Leo Burnett UK, has been announced as president of the grand jury of the 2010 International Advertising Awards. These gongs will be handed out at a ceremony in Shanghai, China, on June 12th.