Kyoorius announces partnership with Indian Creative Women, an independent forum working on amplifying the percentage of women creative directors in the Indian Advertising and Design industry. In collaboration with them, Kyoorius has come up with a host of initiatives that will boost gender equality on their stage and in the industry.
Kyoorius is introducing the Zee Equality Award – The Purple Elephant, which will recognize and reward work that has addressed and impacted gender inequality in India through innovative thinking.
The colour ‘purple’ signifies justice, dignity and has been historically associated with efforts to achieve gender equality.The winners will be decided by a special jury to be announced shortly.
The judging guidelines are as below:
The work should:
- Challenge gender bias and gender inequality
- Show a powerful and positive representation of gender (women/ non-binary women/ or trans people)
- Set out to create a positive long term impact
- Should feel authentic and highlight a real systemic issue
- Have results that go beyond talkability – has truly made a difference
- Match Kyoorius’ high standard of excellence in creativity and craft
The work should NOT be about:
- Enforcing gender stereotypes under the guise of empowerment
- A stunt or a gimmick on a set day like women’s day, or lip service without commitment
- Safety being a woman’s responsibility only
- Misogyny as bait for empowerment
Kyoorius has also released an additional guideline for the judging process across all categories of awards. If the majority of jury members find any piece of worksexist, the entrants will be asked to withdraw the piece of work. This includes work that objectifies women, shows overt sexualization of them, or portrays them through harmful gender stereotypes. The judges will have the authority to decide if a piece work is sexist beyond the above-mentioned considerations.
Sakshi Choudhary, Founder – Indian Creative Women says, “Kyoorius is one of the most credible and influential award bodies in Asia. Every year, it brings powerful brands and agencies of India on one platform. We’re delighted to partner with them to drive real change. This year,they are a shining example and a true benchmark of what this industry can achieve on gender diversity. Our wish is to see each decision-making room in agencies as balanced as the Kyoorius jury room this year.”
Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder and CEO, Kyoorius, says, “We have, since inception, been cognizant of the role of a platform like Kyoorius in achieving gender balance and equality in everything that we do. We are delighted to partner with Indian Creative Women forthe Purple Elephant Award. In addition, we are also delighted that Zee Entertainment has enthusiastically agreed to support the Purple Elephant initiative.”
Details of the judging criteria for the Purple Elephant are available on the site.
In 2022, Kyoorius will also recognize the innovative efforts of agencies and brands to hire, retain and promote women into leadership. This will include introduction of new policies that organizations have introduced to consciously give women within the industry an equal opportunity.
