The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has opened for entries into all 16 categories: Branded Content & Entertainment Lions, Creative Effectiveness Lions, Cyber Lions, Design Lions, Direct Lions, Film Craft Lions, Film Lions, Press Lions, Media Lions, Mobile Lions, Outdoor Lions, Promo & Activation Lions, PR Lions, Radio Lions, Titanium & Integrated Lions, and the brand new Innovation Lions.
Launching this year, the inaugural Innovation Lions has been designed to reward technologies and innovations. Lions will be awarded to such things as the most innovative platforms, apps, tools, programmess, hardware, products, and radical software, amongst others, which allow brands and creatives to communicate with their customers in a new way, or which stand alone as significant innovations in their own right. The Innovation Lion will honour more than a campaign or communications idea. It could be SaaS (software as a service), a new mobile platform, or a revolutionary piece of software that enables a new kind of customer engagement.
In another development, The Media Agency of the Year Award has been realigned so that only a media agency or media department of a full service ad agency will be eligible to win the award in the future. Advertising agencies, clients, media owners and others can continue to enter and win a Media Lion but the involvement of the media agency or media department will become a mandatory field on the entry form.
From this year, the Palme d’Or Award, presented to the best Production Company, will also take into account points accumulated for shortlisted and winning entries in the Branded Content & Entertainment category in addition to those earned in the Film and Craft Categories.
An outstanding line-up of jury presidents and jurors are set to meet in Cannes to judge entries into the 60th anniversary Festival, which this year takes place between 16-22 June. All of the winners will be revealed and announced across four awards ceremonies which will happen throughout the Festival week:
Monday 17 June – Creative Effectiveness, Direct, PR and Promo & Activation Lions Awards
Tuesday 18 June – Innovation, Media, Mobile and Outdoor Lions Awards
Wednesday 19 June – Cyber, Design, Press and Radio Lions Awards
Saturday 22 June – Branded Content & Entertainment, Film, Film Craft, and Titanium & Integrated Lions Awards.
Further information on how to submit work, including tips from the jury room and category assistance, can be found online at www.canneslions.com/awards.
