FP7 McCann Dubai has secured the Grand Prix of the Year at MAD STARS 2026 for its campaign “Recipe for Change” created for Arla Foods, marking one of the competition’s top honours for work entered from the UAE.
The campaign was recognised in the Positive Impact group, which this year spotlighted initiatives aimed at creating social change across areas such as sustainability, diversity and health. “Recipe for Change” also earned a Gold at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity earlier this year.
FP7 McCann Dubai further added to its tally at MAD STARS with a Gold for “Sponsored Balls” in the PR Stars – Practices & Specialism – Events & Experiential category.
“Recipe for Change” was developed in response to the disruption caused to Arla’s retail distribution in Lebanon following the war. The initiative transformed recipes created by Lebanese women into licensable intellectual property, enabling them to generate an ongoing source of income from their culinary heritage.
Under the model, participating restaurants license the recipes and feature the resulting dishes on their menus. A total of 96 restaurants across 28 cities have joined the initiative, with 50% of the revenue from each dish being directed to the woman whose recipe is used.
According to MAD STARS, the concept has generated more than 350 enquiries from restaurants across Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania. A digital platform is also in development to help expand the initiative further.
Tara McKenty, Chief Creative Officer at AKQA, described the approach as “a genuinely elegant piece of strategic thinking, finding dignity-preserving value in something people already own, rather than positioning them as recipients of charity.”
Aurora Straton, Creative Lead at Google, focused on the commercial model: “The easy solution would have been donations, but they created a viable B2B licensing framework, setting a best-in-class benchmark for sustainable corporate social responsibility.”
The 2026 edition of MAD STARS introduced a revised awards structure featuring two overarching groups: Solution and Positive Impact. Solution honours work that demonstrates effective problem-solving through strategy and execution, while Positive Impact recognises campaigns designed to contribute to meaningful social change.
Two Grand Prix of the Year awards were presented at MAD STARS 2026. Alongside FP7 McCann Dubai’s “Recipe for Change”, TBWA\Hakuhodo’s “Radio Time Machine” for Nichii Gakkan in Japan received the Grand Prix of the Year in the Solution group. The campaign uses AI to create radio programmes based on specific years, combining news, music and historical context as part of reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia. It also won the Grand Prix in Health Stars.
MAD STARS 2026 Grand Prix Winners
Beyond the two Grand Prix of the Year honours, Grand Prix awards were presented across nine additional Stars categories:
- The Kaprao Criminals – Film Stars — YUM RESTAURANTS INTERNATIONAL (THAILAND) CO., LTD. / WOLF BKK, Thailand
- Radio Time Machine – Health Stars — NICHII GAKKAN CO., LTD / TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., Japan
- Back to Kai Tak – Brand Experience & Activation Stars — CATHAY / LEO HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China
- Humanity Chain – PR Stars — FORTE BANK / PROGRESSION CA, Kazakhstan
- CHEER SIGNS – Entertainment for Sports Stars — TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT / TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., Japan
- Safetynovela – Branded Entertainment Stars — PHILIPPINE AIRLINES, INC. / BBDO GUERRERO, Philippines
- dear difference – Design Stars — THE NIKKA WHISKY DISTILLING CO. LTD / DENTSU INC., Japan
- Soil Stay – Strategy Stars — TRA MONGKUT FERTILIZER / VML THAILAND, Thailand
- TileChalk – SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) Stars — DBL CERAMICS LIMITED / POP5, Bangladesh
MAD STARS 2026 was held in Busan, South Korea, under the theme “AMPLIFY” from August 26 to 28, with the awards ceremony taking place on August 28.
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