Cannes Lions Summary from Andrew Saunders

After two years, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was finally able to gather the global industry in the South of France to celebrate the best creativity from across the communications and advertising industry. To mark the end of the festival, I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the excellent Canadian work that was on display last month. Many thanks to the marketing, media, and advertising communities from across the country that supported our endeavors in championing and promoting our Canadian work and talent at home and on the global stage. 

We are immensely proud to share that Canada maintained its ranking of 6th in the world, securing 41 Lions, with 8 gold, 9 silver, and 24 bronze with Design being our most awarded category. In addition, Canada was well represented in the jury room, with 13 individuals selected to judge hundreds of entries from all over the world. To be selected to a Cannes Jury is considered one of the highest accolades in the industry and we are appreciative of their time and efforts in representing Canada. To view this year’s full Canadian jury list, click here.

Given the pause on programming and events over the past two years, The Globe decided to expand our festival coverage this year. We hosted training and networking sessions ahead of the festival, as well as a lively Jury mixer in late May, and a Toast to Cannes and Canadian Creativity Party in June. The Globe, in partnership with strategy, also participated in a roundtable discussion with top creative leaders from across the industry to discuss the strength of our Canadian work leading up to the festival. To capture live updates from the festival The Globe’s daily coverage was headed by Katherine Scarrow, general manager, Globe Content Studio, and included fresh insights and perspectives by our on-the-ground ambassadors and members of the Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board, Karen Howe, president of The Township Group, and Sonia Carreno, president of IAB Canada. Wrapping up our coverage, we had an Instagram live interview between Katherine and Karen, and throughout the month of July, we will be posting interviews with select jurors and attendees about their experiences from the festival, which you can read on our Cannes hub here.

Earlier this year at the end of February, The Globe and Mail’s Young Lions Competition had over 448 registrants, competing for the chance to participate in the Global Young Lions Competition at Cannes. As the Competition Sponsor, The Globe awards a prize per Gold-winning team, which includes the registration fees for the virtual Global Young Lions Competition, delegate passes to attend the five-day festival, and the cost of flights and accommodation.

The gold-winning teams from each of the 5 categories (Print, Media, Marketers, Digital, Film) went on to compete in the virtual competition, held from May 16 – June 7, 2022. They contended against some of the most creative teams from all over the world, and we were thrilled to hear “HANDS”, by the Quebec City team of Félix-Antoine Belleville and Zacharie Turgeon from lg2, was shortlisted in the film category. The Young Lions Competition is a chance for us to collectively profile our next generation of talent here in Canada and on a global stage, and we look forward to hosting the Young Lions Competition next year. To see all the 2022 Canadian Young Lions medal winners click here.

As the official representative for the Cannes Lions Festival in Canada for the past 17 years, The Globe is proud to not only support Canadian creativity but champion it as well. We thank you again for joining us in showcasing Canada’s creative talent and we look forward to celebrating next year’s festival together.