Spikes Asia to unearth next Asian creative superstars

The Young Spikes Creative Competition at Spikes Asia will aim to promote Asia's next generation of creative talent.

Sponsored by Omnicom Group, teams of between two and four young people will have just 48 hours to create an eye-catching integrated campaign for a charity or non-profit organisation.

The winning team will be presented with a Gold medal at the Spikes Asia Awards, full delegate passes to Spikes Asia 2010, and more importantly, the recognition that comes with being named part of the top young creative team in Asia.

Lee Smith, CEO of digital, Omnicom Media Group Asia-Pacific, said: “It’s great to be a part of this year’s Young Spikes. We’re looking forward to getting inside the minds of the best young creative and media talent in the industry and working with them to drive innovative ideas during this year’s competition.”

Spikes Asia has also teamed up with Cheil Worldwide to train a select group of 15 students from the region as part of the Spikes Academy.

Led by Noor Azhar Mohamed, a lecturer from the School of Design at Singapore Polytechnic, the Spikes Academy offers a unique educational programme during the Festival, tailored to the needs of the selected students.

As well as being able to participate in Spikes Asia’s regular programme of seminars, workshops and evening events, the hand-picked Spikes Academy students will have exclusive access to personalised sessions and tutorials from top industry figures, including China’s top creative, Jason Zhao, the chief operating officer and ECD of Cheil Worldwide's China network.

Zhao said: “The Academy will be a great opportunity for the students to better understand this industry and to really re-think what they really want to do in their future careers. In addition, it will help them see the areas and skills they hope to develop on.”

“Through my own experiences in the last 16 years, I hope to convey and relate the real nature of this industry to these students while encouraging and inspiring them as well.”

On both programmes, festival chairman Terry Savage, said: “It’s all about learning and about understanding the rapid changes that are occurring in the market. While this is critical to the delegates who are attending, it is even more critical to the Young Spikes in particular as they are in the natural space of where communications is heading.”

Spikes Asia is organised in conjunction with Haymarket Media which also publishes Campaign India.