Program of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity started today, and throughout this week, until June 22, it will bring a feast of creativity and knowledge to participants and contestants alike.
Organizers have confirmed that a total of 32,372 entries have been received into this year’s awards. Best creative works from 90 countries will compete in 26 Lions categories, and the organizers underline that judging from the applications the popularity of these awards are growing among the clients.
Philip Thomas, CEO of the Cannes Lions parent company Ascential Events, commented, “Last year we made the decision to press the reset button on Cannes Lions. We closed three big Lion awards, and removed and combined many sub-categories. We did it knowing that this would mean a smaller volume of entries, but it was the right decision for the long term.” This decision came after some pressure from global players in the creativity industry, most notably the Publicis Groupe which went on a one year hiatus from the industry awards. The reduction in number of categories has thus resulted in an overall 8% drop in the Festival’s entry numbers.
The 2018 entry numbers have also shown a shift in the type of companies entering the awards with the number of brands entering work increasing by 84% over last year. Jose Papa, Managing Director, Cannes Lions, commented that “this was confirmation of marketing leaders’ increased understanding of the value that creativity has on business and ROI.” Another notable change includes an increase in media owners entering work, up 59% on 2017.
Global juries are already hard at work in Cannes to judge and award creative excellence from across the world, and the winners of the Lions will be announced at award shows throughout the Festival from 18-22 June.
