Winners of the Facebook Challenge Student Awards announced

Vini Xavier, Tshego Kwele and Cara Brauckman, who are Vega Johannesburg students, have won the Gold Award in the Facebook Challenge for 2019. Sibuyiselwe Nhlangwini, Thembelihle Buthelezi, and Mseki Ludwe Mkinase, who are Mandela University students, have received the Bronze Runner-up Award.

The Facebook Challenge strives to give students the opportunity for students to showcase their creativity by working on a digital campaign concept for a worthy cause or non-profit organisation.

Facebook aims to be committed to supporting the development of young African creative talent and building digital skills in the marketing and advertising sector. Securing Gold, the 'Know her name' campaign from the Vega students is a mobile campaign that showcases the accomplishments of female sports stars. The campaign aims to set a new precedent for equality in the treatment of men's and women's sports.

The Bronze-winning Mandela University students created a campaign, which strives to 'change the conversation' and highlight how gender inequality exists not only in the violent and extreme cases, but in the everyday language that is used and the ideologies that is fed to children.

Aimed at men, the campaign strives to encourage them to take a stand and to call each other out on acts of toxic masculinity, both big and small.

"Congratulations to our Facebook Student Challenge winners for the creativity they applied in creating high-impact social campaigns, challenging gender stereotypes," says Elizma Nolte, regional marketing manager at Facebook Africa.

“We look forward to working with the students and UN Women to bring the Gold-winning campaign for '#HeForShe' to life on Facebook and Instagram," Nolte adds.

"Gender equality remains an important topic globally, and we are excited to be a champion of the Unstereotype Alliance South Africa chapter, launched by UN Women at the Loeries this year. [The alliance] seeks to drive change for equal gender representation in advertising," she says.

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