Cannes Lions has unveiled a series of changes to its Awards for 2026, reflecting how creativity, data, technology and brand-building are evolving across the global marketing industry. The updates introduce new Lions and subcategories, expand fast-growing areas such as retail media, and strengthen integrity standards around awarded work.
Creative Brand Lion: shifting focus beyond campaigns
Among the most notable additions is the Creative Brand Lion, a new award designed to recognise brands that embed creativity across their entire organisation to drive long-term business growth and brand value. Unlike traditional Lions that reward individual campaigns, this category evaluates how brands build the systems, cultures and capabilities that enable continuous creative excellence. The award sits within a newly introduced Brand Track and prioritises long-term impact and measurable business outcomes over short-term campaign performance.
Creative Data Lion updated to reflect data-led ideas
Cannes Lions is also redefining the Creative Data Lion to reflect the growing role of data as a starting point for creative ideas rather than a supporting tool. The updated categories will reward work in which data fundamentally shapes the creative concept and its execution. Entries must demonstrate that data was essential to both the idea itself and its business impact, including areas such as privacy-first personalisation and innovative media solutions.
New AI Craft subcategory across multiple Lions
Responding to the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in creative work, Cannes Lions is introducing a new AI Craft subcategory. The focus is on recognising craft and artistry at the intersection of human creativity and AI, not simply the use of AI as a production tool. Eligible work must show that the core concept, execution or impact would not have been possible without AI. The new subcategory will appear across the Design, Digital Craft, Film Craft, Industry Craft and Creative Data Lions.
Retail media recognition continues to expand
Retail media, one of the fastest-growing segments of the marketing ecosystem, will receive expanded recognition in 2026. After being introduced in the Media and Creative Commerce Lions last year, retail media categories are now being added to the Creative Strategy and Creative Data Lions.
The expansion reflects the growing importance of retail media in both strategic brand-to-shopper thinking and in the advanced use of first-party data for targeted communication.
Enhanced integrity measures for awarded work
Following the introduction of Integrity Standards in mid-2025, Cannes Lions is implementing additional measures to ensure that awarded work demonstrates genuine, verifiable impact. These include more detailed declarations of factual accuracy, source submissions at the point of entry, AI-assisted verification of entries, and a new formal enquiry process. A LIONS Integrity Handbook will also be introduced as a practical reference for agencies and brands.
Additional category updates
Other updates for Cannes Lions 2026 include:
- A new IP and Branding subcategory within the Design Lion, recognising intellectual property creation and comprehensive brand system development
- A new Holistic Wellbeing & Mindful Living subcategory in the Health & Wellness Lion, expanding beyond traditional health communication
- The introduction of Use of Humour as a medium within the Health Track, highlighting humour as a tool for addressing and destigmatising health topics
Overall, the 2026 changes signal a clear shift in how Cannes Lions defines creative excellence, placing greater emphasis on long-term brand systems, data-led creativity, emerging forms of craft and transparency in award-winning work.
