Stop Waiting, Act Now—meet the first sponsors of the 2019 Papaya Young Directors Competition30.11.2018

Papaya Young Directors is a competition for young and aspiring filmmakers with an unorthodox approach to advertising. It’s an opportunity for emerging artists to meet with clients and get free rein to produce novel and fresh commercials. Since its inception, Papaya Young Directors has been the source of stories that move and entertain viewers, and boldly experiment with genre, style, and production methods. The sixth edition of the competition begins on January 14, 2019. 

There would be no PYD competition, however, without the involvement of sponsors—they bring budgets and inspirations that drive the productions. This year’s edition will be supported by brands who have embraced a bold an innovative approach to advertising and visual communication.This year, aspiring filmmakers will be developing commercials for brands such as Durex, Decathlon, Allegro, and Desperados. That’s not all of the sponsors however—additional brands joining the roster will be revealed soon. 

Durex — we expect boldness

Cognizant of the creative potential of young people, Durex decided to get involved with PYD. “It’s important to let young filmmakers communicate with other young people using their own language, thus making the end result more authentic, genuine, organic. We expect them to be bold, involved, and innovative. We want PYD participants to help young people take their first steps into adulthood and do so safely,” says Justyna Dadał, Senior Brand Manager at Durex. As Durex is widely renowned for its interesting and unorthodox approach to promotional campaigns, its decision to get involved with PYD seemed like a natural step forward for the brand. 

Decathlon – komunikacyjne trzęsienie ziemi

Our incessant pursuit of fresh and innovative advertising solutions has brought Decathlon on board, making the brand our first ever sponsor from the athletic industry. Known for its rather standard approach to marketing communication, the brand decided to update its image and decided to embrace “total advertising disruption.” “We want to treat young creatives and filmmakers as partners and would like to invite them to contribute to reshaping the perception a brand seeking to boost its image and approachability with younger generations. We want the brand’s voice to be their voice, speaking out on our behalf,” says Wojciech Kozłowski, Marketing Director for the brand, emphasizing the company’s willingness to embrace novel, unorthodox means of advertising.

Allegro — another year together

This year will mark the third time that Allegro takes up the PYD sponsor mantle. The success of past editions and the films produced by directors in their course inspired Allegro to once again get involved with the competition. “The filmmakers and creative we entrust our communication to have a different understanding of the world around us and the brands they feel close to. We want to expand our reach, establish new relationships, and in our experiences, PYD has always been a breath of fresh air in terms of these goals. Given our proximity to our brand, it’s hard for us to simply step outside ourselves, look at our efforts impartially and say: ‘Let’s do it differently this time around,’” says Adam Szałamacha, Brand Manager at Allegro. 

Desperados — engaging the audience

Transcending our collective comfort zone and settings new industry-wide trends is one of the competition’s greatest strengths. The Desperados brand, debuting as a sponsor this year, fits the needs perfectly. “The brand universe mostly relies on good storytelling, something that you, as the organizers, are on the lookout for throughout the competition. Nowadays, advertising isn’t necessarily about showcasing the benefits of a given product, but offering the consumer an engaging, emotional story,” says Anna Wood, Senior Group Brand Manager International Brands in the Żywiec Group, who oversees the Desperados brand in Poland. 

Papaya Young Directors has been setting new trends in advertising since its very inception. The competition is aimed at students and recent graduates of arts and film schools as well as film buffs and fans of great storytelling. 

Submissions open on January 14, 2019 and will run through February 29, 2019. A shortlist will be published on April 1, 2019, and the finalists will be revealed only on April 11, 2019. To apply, you only need an idea. To participate, register through the user panel after the competition launches on January 14 and upload a director’s treatment describing your approach to a selected sponsor brief.