Cannes Lions News Round Up 2026
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The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is back for 2026, bringing together the world’s biggest brands, agencies, platforms and creative thinkers on the French Riviera.
From headline-making campaigns and award winners to industry trends, product launches and cultural talking points, here’s you digest of the major awards hauls.
Wednesday 24th June 2026
In the Creative Data Lions (celebrating the transformative power of data-driven creativity), the Grand Prix was awarded to ‘SOS POS’, for BCP, by Circus Grey, Lima. The campaign transformed ordinary payment terminals into emergency account-blocking points for victims of phone theft, helping protect millions of Peruvians from financial fraud.
In Media, the Grand Prix went to ‘Build Your Own Super Bowl’, for Uber Eats, by Special, Los Angeles. The work turned the Uber Eats app into a personalised Super Bowl advertising platform, allowing fans to create their own version of the brand’s big-game experience while driving record sales.
In Direct, the Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Uva Uva Bombón’, for UVA App, by de la Cruz Ogilvy, San Juan. The challenger delivery platform capitalised on the cultural buzz surrounding Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl, converting a global entertainment moment into immediate consumer action.
In PR, the Grand Prix went to ‘The KitKat Heist’, for KitKat, by Burson, London. The campaign turned the theft of a giant KitKat installation into a global news story, transforming a potential crisis into a playful brand-building opportunity.
In Social & Creator, the Grand Prix was presented to ‘Could Have Been A Heineken’, for Heineken, by LePub, Milan. The campaign used WhatsApp voice notes to encourage people to swap digital conversations for real-life meet-ups over a beer.
The awards marked another strong night for Latin America, with Peru and Puerto Rico both taking home Grand Prix honours.
Tuesday 23rd June 2026
In the Entertainment Lions (celebrating creativity that turns branded content into culture) The Jury awarded the Grand Prix to ‘Original Forever’, for adidas, by Johannes Leonardo, New York / adidas, London.
In the gaming category The Grand Prix went to ‘Copycats Welcome’, for Clash Royale, by David, New York. In music, The Jury also awarded two Grands Prix, to ‘Rosalía Ft. Björk, Yves Tumor – Berghain’, for Rosalía, by Canada, Barcelona / Rosalia, Barcelona; and ‘Original Forever’, for adidas, by Johannes Leonardo, New York / adidas, London. In sport the Grand Prix, which went to ‘The Thousand Sponsors of Muni’, for Club Deportivo Municipal, by McCann, Lima.
In Design, the Grand Prix was presented to ‘Apple TV Rebrand’, for Apple, by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles / Apple, Cupertino.
The Digital Craft Grand Prix was presented to ‘Project Genie’, for Google, by Google, Mountain View.
From 1433 Film Craft entries the Grand Prix went to ‘Your Way Out’, for Coinbase, by Isle of Any, New York.
In Industry Craft, the Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Tiny Coffee Shops’ for De’longhi, by LOLA, Madrid.
Live on stage, the Cannes LionHeart Award, was presented to Oprah Winfrey, media leader, producer, philanthropist and actress.
Monday 22nd June, 2026
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the first Lion winners of the Festival today.
In the Audio & Radio Lions, celebrating creativity that is wired for sound. The Jury awarded the Grand Prix to ‘Coquí Alarmed’, for Hyundai Puerto Rico.
A new Award for 2026, the Creative Brand Lions recognise the visionary brands that are building the systems, cultures and capabilities that make world-class creative marketing inevitable and repeatable. The Grand Prix, presented to ‘AB InBev: Creativity at Scale’, for AB InBev, by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Leuven.
In the Creative B2B Lions. The Grand Prix went to ‘The Faroe Islands Space Program’, for SKF, by NORD Stockholm, which turned B2B communications into a global sustainability conversation.
In The Health & Wellness Lions, celebrating creativity for personal wellbeing – The Grand Prix went to ‘The Periodic Fable’, for The Ordinary, by SMUGGLER, London / Uncommon Creative Studio, London. The work reframed beauty advertising by identifying unregulated marketing terms and reclassifying them within a reimagined periodic table.
The Lions Health and United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good Award went to ‘Vehicle of Hope’ for Caritas by Differ Stockholm.
In the Outdoor Lions, The Grand Prix was presented to ‘Field Barcode’, for Mercado Livre, by GUT São Paulo. The work turned Brazil’s Pacaembu stadium pitch into a 104-metre-wide barcode, so people could discover, scan and interact with Mercado Livre in real time.
In the Pharma Lions, which celebrate creative communications for pharmaceutical clients and services with work that brings science and innovation to life, The Grand Prix was presented to ‘Relax Your Tight End’, for Novartis, by Fallon, Minneapolis. The work leveraged a private health taboo – prostate cancer screening.
The Print & Publishing Lions awarded The Grand Prix went to ‘Look Familiar?’, for Heinz Ketchup, by Rethink, Toronto. Heinz turned a simple hidden design truth into a global campaign that translated into measurable commercial growth for the brand.
in other news……
Spotify and Coach unveiled a new global partnership designed to connect with Gen Z through music and culture. Announced at Spotify Beach during a panel featuring Coach ambassador Troye Sivan, the collaboration will launch this autumn through Spotify AUX, combining on- and off-platform experiences.
The Most Creative Brands In The World? Cannes Lions has unveiled the shortlist for its inaugural Creative Brand Lions — a new category built to recognise brands that have wired creativity into the organisation itself, rather than rewarding a single campaign. Ten cases made the cut: AB InBev, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Mercado Libre, KitKat, M&M’s, Renault, TIME, Whisper and e.l.f. Beauty — work spanning the US, Belgium, Switzerland, France, India and Argentina.
Reddit | Nearly half of shoppers check Reddit before trusting AI recommendations. As AI-generated product recommendations become more common, new research from Reddit suggests consumers still want a human second opinion. The platform says nearly half of shoppers verify AI-generated recommendations on Reddit before making a purchase, while real-world experiences shared by other users rank as a more influential factor than reviews from critics or influencers. The findings were unveiled at Cannes Lions alongside a raft of new advertising tools powered by what Reddit calls “Community Intelligence” – including AI-generated ad creative, Reddit-powered shopping ads and formats that allow brands to feature positive user comments in their advertising.
