Young people across the Middle East got a fresh way to show off their creative skills through the PepsiCo Youth Impact Studio, a regional competition that ran across four countries and wrapped up earlier this year with a final summit in Riyadh.
The program is an initiative by PepsiCo, executed by the agency parachute16, and it carries the tagline “Powered by youth, Made for impact.” It brought together teams from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon to take on creative challenges built around PepsiCo’s beverage brands.
A creative challenge, country by country
Rather than a single brief, the Youth Impact Studio gave each country its own themed challenge tied to a PepsiCo brand. Teams had to capture the idea in one creative piece.
In the UAE, the challenge was a Pepsi Zero brief called “From Zero to Full Throttle.” Teams were asked to capture what it feels like to move from a starting point to full acceleration, whether in life, in a craft or in a personal dream, reflecting the UAE’s culture of momentum and progress.
Saudi Arabia’s challenge, also under Pepsi Zero, was “Moment Zero.” It focused on football and the electric second before kick-off, when anticipation peaks and a stadium’s energy ignites.
Jordan’s challenge, under the Aquafina brand, was “Moments of Clarity.” It invited young creators to show what clarity means to them, capturing a scene, sound or message that reminds people to pause, reset and see things more clearly.
Lebanon’s challenge, also Aquafina, was “Drops of Change.” The brief celebrated small, consistent actions, the idea that being one per cent better each day can ripple outward and inspire others.
How teams took part
The competition was open to teams of two or three people, with no solo entries allowed. Importantly, members could come from any background, whether creative, communication, design, business or technology, as long as they were based in the country of their challenge.
Each team submitted one original creative piece in one of three formats: a short vertical video of up to 60 seconds, a poster or visual design, or an audio piece of up to 60 seconds. A short caption or title of up to 100 words went with it. Phone-shot videos were perfectly acceptable, which kept the barrier to entry low.
Three phases, ending in Riyadh
The Youth Impact Studio ran in three phases. It opened with a round of micro challenges, followed by a public voting and shortlisting stage. The strongest teams then moved on to national hackathons held in Amman, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh through January. The whole journey ended with a Riyadh Capstone Summit in mid-February, where teams from all four countries came together to celebrate the work.
Submissions were judged on creativity and boldness, how well they connected to the assigned PepsiCo brand, the strength of their storytelling, and the genuine effort and authenticity behind them. A community voting round added an audience-engagement score for shortlisted entries, and the top eight to ten teams in each country advanced to a National Challenge Day.
A clear stance on AI
One detail worth noting for students is how the competition handled artificial intelligence. The Youth Impact Studio allowed AI as a support tool, useful for brainstorming, drafting captions or scripts, editing, translation and accessibility features such as subtitles.
What it did not allow was submissions that were fully AI-generated, or where AI visuals, video or audio formed the core of the creative work. Teams also had to disclose exactly how they used AI, and non-disclosure could lead to disqualification. The message was simple: AI can assist the process, but the idea, the story and the craft must come from the participant.
Why it matters for students
The Youth Impact Studio is a good example of how regional competitions are creating real platforms for young creative talent. It rewarded clear thinking, teamwork and storytelling over expensive equipment, and it welcomed students from any field, not only design or media.
This edition has concluded, but it is worth keeping an eye on PepsiCo Middle East’s channels for any future rounds. For students interested in design, video, communication or marketing, a competition like this is a low-cost way to build a portfolio, work in a team and put an idea in front of a regional audience.
