New York Festivals and the African Cristal Festival Launch the NYF Cristal Village Award

New York Festivals Advertising Awards, in partnership with the African Cristal Festival, introduces the inaugural NYF Cristal Village Award - a new category dedicated to honouring creative work that educates for good, bridges cultures, and inspires meaningful change.

New for 2025 this award, honours creative brand and experiential work that promotes positive change, recognising campaigns and initiatives across all channels that demonstrate broad appeal, purpose, and foster cultural collaboration and understanding.

Entries will be evaluated by a distinguished panel of jurors, led by African Cristal Festival chair Justin Thomas-Copeland, ensuring a thoughtful and deliberate assessment that honours pioneering work. 

“Creativity broadens horizons, excites, and educates, this collaboration with New York Festivals embodies that. I can’t wait to see the work. By submitting entries, agencies and brands will directly fund young African talent from across the continent to attend the African Cristal Festival in Morocco. It could be the spark to change their lives!” said Justin Thomas-Copeland, chair African Cristal Festival 

2025 NYF Cristal Village Award Jury

• African Cristal Festival Chair - Justin Thomas-Copeland - CEO and founder, KINDRD Global, United Kingdom & Belgium
• Kwame Taylor Hayford, creative executive | co-founder, Kin, USA
• Andrea Diquez, global CEO, Gut, USA
• Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, chief marketing officer, DoorDash, USA
• Shobha Sairam, global chief strategy officer, USA

“New York Festivals is thrilled to join forces with the African Cristal Festival on this exciting new initiative, one that celebrates purpose-driven creativity while empowering the next generation of talent.” said Scott Rose, president, New York Festivals

This award celebrates creative brand and experience work that educates for good, recognising campaigns and initiatives across any channel with broad appeal, purpose, and driving cultural synergy and understanding.

To qualify for this award, work must embody a strong sense of purpose, inspire new thinking, or deeper understanding, change attitudes and behaviours for social good. The award focuses on entries that bridge cultures and deliver messages with wide-reaching, positive impact.

Examples of eligible work include, but are not limited to, campaigns delivering human and community-driven brand activation, new product and service launches and activation - with a strong social focus, climate and sustainability change, mental, physical health and wellness impact, disease awareness, animal welfare, and human rights.

Entry fees for submissions in this category will go towards sponsoring Pan-African young creatives to attend the African Cristal Festival, planned to take place in Casablanca, Morocco in September 2025. Both NY Festivals and the African Cristal Festival hope that such an experience for young talent will change and inspire lives.

For more information please visit: New York Festivals Advertising Awards and the African Cristal Festival.

Rules and Regulations and eligibility dates for NYFA 2025 will apply for the Cristal Village Award. The early deadline to enter the 2025 New York Festivals Advertising Awards is February 28, 2025. For more information visit HERE.