AUS students sweep the podium at IGCF2025’s inaugural Global PR Challenge

American University of Sharjah (AUS) students were part of international student teams that claimed first, second and third place at the inaugural Global PR Challenge – Sharjah Edition, a youth-focused competition held ahead of the 14th International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2025).

Organized by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau in partnership with the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), Sharjah Brand and AUS, the challenge brought together 30 students from seven countries to design innovative campaigns that strengthen Sharjah’s identity as a global brand. The teams the AUS students were part of won first, second and third place with their projects “One City: Many Voices”; “When in Sharjah, You are Home”; and “Ships of Culture.”

First Place: “One City, Many Voices”

For media communication student Samreen Akhter, who worked alongside teammates from Turkey and India, winning first place felt deeply rewarding.

“Honestly, it still feels so unreal,” said Akhter, who studies at AUS’ College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). “I didn’t realize how large-scale the event was going to be or what a big deal it actually was. At the end of the day, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and genuinely proud of myself for being able to achieve this.”

Her team’s campaign presented Sharjah as an umbrella city that embraces people from around the world. Rather than focusing only on well-known destinations, the project highlighted hidden gems and authentic local places that reflect the city’s multicultural identity.

The process came with challenges. With teammates from based in different locations, coordinating across time zones tested their collaboration skills. But overcoming those hurdles, Akhter said, made the success more meaningful.

She credited her AUS studies for preparing her: “As media communication students, we work on creating campaigns in so many of our classes. That constant practice of building and developing ideas in a classroom setting really helped me translate those skills into this real-world competition.”

Looking ahead, Akhter sees the experience as a career milestone: “More than a specific skill, I realized the importance of simply going for opportunities. Being confident and trying regardless of the outcome is valuable, because there is never any harm in trying.”

Second Place: “Ships of Culture”

Dana Bouzo, a media communication student at CAS, and her team created “Ships of Culture,” a campaign rooted in Sharjah’s maritime heritage.

“Historically, dhows connected Sharjah to the world by carrying pearls, goods and stories across the seas. Today, the media acts as the modern ship, carrying culture and human experiences across borders,” Bouzo said. “We used this symbolism to show Sharjah as a hub of diversity, inclusion, cultural exchange and a place where traditions are preserved while new global connections are constantly being built.”

Despite the limited time and language barriers among teammates, Bouzo found the experience especially meaningful: “Making it to the top three teams and seeing our project stand out was amazing, because I felt that we achieved this despite several challenges, including the limited time we had to prepare our response. This experience showed me the value of creativity, collaboration and persistence. In my view, the goal of competitions is not to compete against other teams, but to challenge ourselves and remember how talented we truly are.”

Third Place: “When in Sharjah, You are Home”

Izma Fatima, an international relations student at CAS, and her teammates developed “When in Sharjah, You are Home”, a campaign designed to show how people from all walks of life can find belonging in Sharjah while maintaining pride in their roots.

“Our main goal was to highlight that people from all walks of life, cultures and countries can call Sharjah home, while still feeling immense pride for where they come from,” Fatima said.

The campaign proposed inviting five international influencers to spend a week living and working in Sharjah, where they would take on challenges at the city’s iconic locations. Their experiences would be documented and shared on social media, through a government-supported video, and in white papers produced by local Sharjah companies featured in the campaign. The overall goal was to inspire young people worldwide to see Sharjah as an attractive place to live and work.

For Fatima, the most enriching part was the collaborative, international environment:
“The most rewarding aspect was to work with international students and be associated with a conference as reputable as IGCF. I’m grateful to AUS for making it possible for us to access such prestigious opportunities, and I highly recommend that all students take part in competitions like these, as it enriches their overall AUS experience. They are a fantastic way to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios and gain hands-on industry skills.”

Focusing on food security in the Universities Challenge

As part of IGCF 2025, another student competition, the Universities Challenge, was organized by UAE University in collaboration with the Sharjah Government Communication Award. Representing AUS, industrial engineering student Maryam Kaleem (College of Engineering), double-major student Nuha Pattani (College of Arts and Sciences, Physics; College of Engineering, Computer Science) and design management student Heba Zahra (College of Architecture, Art and Design) presented their project Barakah: A Circular Food System.

The project addressed the theme of food security, proposing a government-enabled platform that redistributes surplus supermarket food to citizens at affordable prices. By using AI to sort and track near-expiry items, the system reduces waste, lowers disposal costs for supermarkets and provides families with safe, nutritious groceries.

For more information about AUS’ world-class Bachelor of Arts in Media Communication visit, https://go.aus.edu/ug-ba-mdc.