The answer to ‘How will we travel in the future?’ has been finally answered by the creative minds of Abu Dhabi, as the winners of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s UAE-wide competition –#ArtPortChallenge has been declared.

Earlier in June, Institut Français in the UAE – the cultural department of the French Embassy — JCDecaux, the worldwide outdoor advertising company, Abu Dhabi Airports, and BB Media had invited graphic design applications to show their creativity to answer the question, ‘How will be travel in future?’ The department congratulated nine winners of the event at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Through the initiative, the organisers wanted to support and underline cultural life in Abu Dhabi, by transforming the airport into a first-of-its-kind open-air museum, using JCDecaux’s outdoor advertising billboards. Creative heads were asked to create state-of-the-art visuals by answering the question: “How will we travel in the future?” which saw many applicants from across the UAE participate with much enthusiasm.

The nine winners include three children (6-12 years old), three teenagers (12-18 years old), and three adults who are been awarded by the exhibition of their artwork on 70 outdoor advertising billboards of Abu Dhabi International Airport, an iconic landmark in the UAE’s capital which will be on display starting from July 14 till the end of August.

The selection board included Xavier Chatel, Ambassador of France to the UAE, Shareef Al Hashmi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, Martin Sabbagh, Chief Executive Officer of JCDecaux Middle East, and Africa, and Abdun Najeeb, Managing Director of BB Media.

The board also comprised of three art experts –Emirati artist Afra Al Dhaheri, Dubai-based artist eL Seed, and Olivier Peyricot, designer at La Cité du Design (The City of Design), Saint-Etienne, France.

The initiative was launched on the occasion of the French National Day, which falls on July 14, during which the 50th anniversary of the Emirati-French friendship was also celebrated. Not just the display at the airport, the winners will also get an opportunity to showcase their work at the French Pavilion during Expo 2020 Dubai in October.