Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity announced the winners on the penultimate day of this year’s edition of the festival. Work was awarded in the categories Creative Business Transformation, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Luxury, Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Commerce and Innovation Lions.
The day of awards was especially marked by a historic result for Greece, which won its first Grand Prix at the festival. The recognition came in the Creative Business Transformation Lions category for the campaign The Wedding Rice for Wikifarmer, signed by McCann Athens. Out of 152 entries, the jury awarded seven recognitions: one Gold, two Silver, three Bronze and the Grand Prix. The campaign turned inedible rice into a new product for weddings, giving farmers an additional source of income.
Creative Effectiveness Lions, a category dedicated to proven and measurable results of creative work, had 200 entries this year. A total of 14 recognitions were awarded: two Gold, four Silver, seven Bronze and the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix went to the campaign Three Words for AXA France, signed by Publicis Conseil from Paris. The work included a three-word clause in home insurance contracts, intended for people experiencing domestic abuse.
The focus of the Creative Strategy Lions category was the strength of the strategic idea behind the creative solution. Out of 744 entries, 22 recognitions were awarded: four Gold, seven Silver, ten Bronze and the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix went to the campaign The Pub that Refused to Die for Heineken, signed by LePub from Milan and Publicis Dublin. The campaign turned the true story of one community into a model that helps preserve local pubs.
In the luxury segment, Luxury Lions recognized work that builds brand value through emotion, aesthetics, heritage and experience. Out of 130 entries, five recognitions were awarded: one Gold, one Silver, two Bronze and the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix went to the campaign Warmer Together for Moncler, signed by Wesayhi from Sliema. The work is based on cinematic photography and short films, with a focus on human connection, warmth and the friendship between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
The highest number of entries among the awarded categories was recorded by Brand Experience & Activation Lions, which recognizes ideas that directly involve the audience in the brand experience. The campaign It’s time to stop by Via Media was also shortlisted. Out of 1561 entries, 47 recognitions were awarded: eight Gold, 14 Silver, 24 Bronze and the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix went to the campaign Expedition Impossible for Columbia Sportswear, signed by Adam&Eve\TBWA from London. The brand offered to hand over the company to anyone who could prove that the Earth is flat, turning an outdoor challenge into a broader story about exploration and facts.
Creative Commerce Lions recognizes creative solutions that influence purchase, loyalty and commercial value. Among 393 entries, 14 recognitions were awarded: one Gold, five Silver, seven Bronze and the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix went to Lucky Fan Index for Wisła Kraków Football Club, signed by VML from Warsaw. The AI tool connected data with the emotion of sports fandom, strengthening the club’s relationship with its fans and its commercial result.
For innovations that bring real change, Innovation Lions had 162 entries this year. Five recognitions were awarded: one Gold, one Silver, two Bronze and the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix went to Supernova Adaptive for adidas, signed by TBWA\Canada. It is the first performance running shoe inspired by the Down syndrome community and designed together with them.
On the penultimate day of the festival, special recognitions for regional networks of the year were also awarded. The title of Regional Network of the Year for Asia went to Ogilvy, for Europe to TBWA Worldwide, for the MENA region to McCann, for Latin America to Ogilvy, for North America to Ogilvy, for the Pacific to Leo, and for Sub-Saharan Africa to Leo.
The second-to-last day of the festival once again showed how much the space of creativity at Cannes Lions is expanding: from business models and contractual clauses, through local communities and fan emotions, to products that change access to sport. This year’s Grand Prix recognitions did not celebrate only big ideas, but also their ability to drive concrete change.
