Malaria No More UK Wipes Out the Competition at the 2021 World Media Awards

The World Media Group is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 World Media Awards. Brands including Lombard Odier, The North Face, PlayStation, Samsung Galaxy, Shell, Can-Am On-Road, REWE Markt GmbH and Tourism Australia were amongst those receiving accolades for their impressive entries this year. Hosted by the World Media Group, the World Media Awards, now in their sixth year, are the only global awards to recognise brands, agencies and media partners who, together, create the most effective cross platform, cross border, content-driven advertising campaigns.

The Grand Prix went to Malaria No More (MNM) UK for its Draw the Line campaign, which also won the award for Social Good, a new category introduced this year. The innovative campaign sought to galvanise the influential global youth audience to create a sense of a movement, encouraging world leaders to move malaria up the political agenda. 

Partnering with Nigerian artist, activist and lawyer, Láolú Sebanjo, known worldwide for using his patterns to start conversations and shed light on important issues, MNM took inspiration from Africa’s oldest art form, traditional line painting, creating a ‘Muundo’ modular system that allowed people from all over the world to add their own line to a crowdsourced piece of art, a collective call to end malaria. This was accompanied by a video from acclaimed Nigerian music video director Meji Alabi, featuring the talent emanating from the African continent.

“Malaria No More UK wiped out the competition with its brilliant Draw the Line campaign which taps into the cultural zeitgeist around social activism and the new generation claiming their futures back from this deadly disease,” said Shula Sinclair, Global Head of Strategy, Spark Foundry and Co-Chair WMA Judges “MNM created a campaign that was authentic, allowed consumers to get involved, and delivered impressive results reaching over 540 million people. It has set an incredibly high standard as the first winner of our Social Good category and is well-deserving of this year’s Grand Prix award.  

Damian Douglas, president of the World Media Group and managing director EMEA, TIME, said: “In my first year as president, I’ve been impressed by the quality of the shortlisted campaigns – the standard was incredibly high, and the judges had a tough job on their hands. It’s inspiring to see the many ways brands have used storytelling to stay connected with their audiences during a challenging year. I’m delighted we’ve been able to come together to celebrate their successes at the World Media Awards.” 

A panel of 32 senior jurors from leading international advertisers, agencies and publishers co-chaired by Fabio Mancone, chief branding officer and Partner at Lombard Odier Group and Shula Sinclair, Global Head of Strategy, Spark Foundry, were tasked with selecting the eight category winners and the Grand Prix winner from the many global submissions. The full list of judges can be seen here.

For more information on the World Media Awards and to see the winning entries in full click here.