Award winners have been announced in a viral ad competition to promote WaterAid.

YouTube and Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival report that Andrew Dobbie (25) – who works at JWT Manchester, UK – and Rachel Wolak (28) – employed by Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Colorado, USA – have won the competition and will become ‘Team YouTube’, the 40th team to compete in this year’s Young Lions Film Competition in Cannes, France, later this month. 

WaterAid, which works to bring safe water and sanitation to some of the world’s poorest communities, was revealed as the 2010 competition’s charity partner. It unveiled a brief in May for young creatives across the world to create a short ad of up to one minute and upload it onto YouTube to promote their ‘Don’t Let it Drop’ campaign. The ads aimed to get viewers to sign WaterAid’s petition demanding that world leaders do not let water and sanitation drop from the international agenda when they meet to review the progress of the Millennium Development Goals in September.

Creatives were given 48 hours to submit their ad and then had a further two weeks to make their YouTube ad go viral by any means necessary and obtain as many votes as possible. 

The competition received 530 entries and more than 75,600 votes in two weeks. A panel of worldwide creative leaders assessed the quality of the ads over the last week and selected Dobbie and Wolak as the winners, based on the overall creative execution of the brief and the videos’ public votes. 

They will now unite as ‘Team YouTube’ and will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Cannes to attend the International Advertising Festival and join 39 other teams to compete in the prestigious Young Lions Film competition, which offers exposure for young creatives looking to carve a role in the advertising or film industry.

View the winning entries here: Andrew Dobbie’s ad; and Rachel Wolak’s ad.  

Anna Bateson, director of YouTube marketing EMEA, said: "We are delighted that this competition has drawn a healthy level of interest for the second year running and look forward to seeing ‘Team YouTube’ compete with the best young talent at Cannes."

Chris Baylis, executive creative director of TribalDDB Amsterdam, and one of the contest judges, said: "It’s inspiring and exciting to see how, in just 48 hours, well executed creative ideas can be concepted and produced. Congratulations to the two winners whose ads had a unique approach that not only tackled the brief but were interesting enough to share and talk about.” 

Joe Downie, website manager of WaterAid, commented: "We’ve been really impressed with the amazing concepts people came up with. Together, the hundreds of films have created a real awareness-raising buzz for WaterAid and our ‘Don’t Let it Drop’ campaign. Thanks to all those who took part and congratulations to the two winners.”

Launched in 2006, The Young Lions Film Competition is an integral part of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival (June 20-26) which sees teams of two from 39 countries aged 28 or under, who have just 48 hours to shoot and edit a one minute commercial on behalf of the client - a charity or not-for-profit organisation. The experience is intense but winning can be rewarding both personally and professionally. 

WaterAid is an international charity working in 26 countries around the world to bring clean water, safe sanitation and hygiene education to some of the world’s poorest communities. Find out more here. www.wateraid.org/drop

The YouTube contest Judges were:

• Chris Baylis, executive creative director – TribalDDB Amsterdam 
• Edmund Choe, executive creative director, Greater China – Saatchi & Saatchi 
• Colleen DeCourcy, chief digital officer – TBWA Worldwide 
• Brian Elliott, founder and chief executive – Amsterdam Worldwide 
• José Mollá, co-founder, co-chief creative officer – La Comunidad