About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

World Intellectual Property Day 2022: Innovators from Syria, Ghana and China Top Youth Video Contest

Geneva, April 26, 2022
PR/2022/889

Young people from Syria, Ghana and China won the top three spots in the youth video competition for this year’s World Intellectual Property Day, which carries the theme “IP and Youth Innovating for a Better Future.”

Twenty-five year old Hekma Jabouli from Syria won the first prize with her short film showing a home-made smart device designed to help her sister regain mobility after shrapnel injury to her spinal cord.

In an online vote, Ms. Jabouli’s video was selected best submission among an original pool of nearly 150 entries from dozens of countries.

Twenty-seven year old John Wobil from Ghana took second place for his video about a new rice thresher, while digital designers Li Binglu and Cai Quinge, Chinese nationals living in Japan, came third with their story about creating new pictograms or emojis to forge connections among remote workers.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang said that about half the world’s population is under the age of 30 and is the fastest-growing demographic in many parts of the world – and that younger people are already working on solutions to shared issues, supported by intellectual property (IP) rights like trademarks, patents, designs, copyright and others that help people earn a living from their work.

This year, on World Intellectual Property Day, WIPO is celebrating the vision and dynamism of young innovators and creators everywhere.

At a time when humanity needs to come together to address a range of urgent challenges - from overcoming the pandemic, to combatting climate change - we must help our youths to realize their innovation potential.

WIPO is working to build a more inclusive IP ecosystem by expanding access to IP for groups who have been historically under-represented, including women, smaller enterprises and younger people, which is why we selected this year's theme. A better future begins with young people and WIPO intends to ensure that IP is there to help them grow.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang

View the three winning videos:

Hekma Jabouli (Syrian Arab Republic)

First Prize

Hekma Jabouli created a smart device to help her sister regain mobility after a shrapnel injury.

John Wobil (Ghana)

Second Prize

John Wobil’s rice threshing machine has more efficient winnowing capabilities cutting down on rice breakage.

Li Binglu and Cai Qinge (China)

Third Prize

Li Binglu and Cai Qinge came up with new pictograms or emojis to connect digital illustrators working remotely.

The three winning videos were to be screened at an event at WIPO headquarters on April 26 commemorating World IP Day. The event, entitled “Innovating for Better Health: Supporting Young Innovators through IP,” will bring together young innovators from different regions and will explore the challenges they face and how innovation ecosystems need to evolve to enable them to thrive.

For the competition, entrants were requested to submit a short video clip on the theme of “We are young and innovative. Let’s build a better future with IP!” The contest attracted 142 entries from 63 countries, with a group of judges creating a shortlist of 20 videos in line with a set of pre-established criteria.

The shortlisted entries were the subject of an online public vote from April 12 to 22, 2022, in which 36,819 votes were cast.

About World IP Day

In 2000, WIPO's member states designated April 26 – the day on which the WIPO Convention came into force in 1970 – as World Intellectual Property Day with the aim of increasing general understanding of intellectual property (IP). Since then, World IP Day has offered a unique opportunity each year to join with others around the globe to consider how IP contributes to the flourishing of music and the arts and to driving the technological innovation that helps shape our world.

About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere.

We do so by providing services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property (IP) across borders and acting as a forum for addressing cutting-edge IP issues. Our IP data and information guide decisionmakers the world over. And our impact-driven projects and technical assistance ensure IP benefits everyone, everywhere.

For more information, please contact the News and Media Division at WIPO:
  • Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 / 338 72 24
  • E-mail