A Triple Win for Our UK Young Lions

We are delighted to announce our UK Young Lions took away two golds, a silver and a shortlist in the Global Young Lions competition in Cannes last week.

Every year, as UK reps for Cannes Lions, the Advertising Association runs a competition for creatives under-30 offering the ultimate prize of competing in the Global Young Lions arena. You can meet all of the successful creatives for this year’s competition here.

While in Cannes, our young creatives competed head-to-head with international peers. They had just 24 hours to deliver innovative responses to briefs set by a company dedicated to a good cause, with the results judged by members of the Lions juries.

Out of the seven categories, the UK walked away with medals in three.

In the Design category, Billy Nhiwatiwa (Jones Knowles Ritchie) and Ethan Brown, (Studio Sutherl&) won Gold for ‘Billy Wilder – The Man Behind The Picture’. Their brief challenged them to create a visual identity that raises awareness for the lesser-known filmmaker Billy Wilder.

The Film category saw a Gold for Matt Nicholas and Graham Roberts, both freelancers, with their entry ‘Man in the Mirror’. This year’s Film brief focused on redefining what it means to be a successful man today, aiming to eliminate harmful stereotypes in advertising.

The LEGO Group’s Gemma Albin and Charlotte Rubesa also impressed the judges, taking home a silver in the Marketers category with their campaign ‘What Would Ida Do?’. The Marketers’ brief was set by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), tasking competitors with creating a campaign to raise awareness for their work.

Finally, Darryl Ng and Kirsty Brewis from krow group were shortlisted in the Print category, responding to a brief which asked for a print ad that redefined traditional narratives around success for men.

The Young Lions competition, organised by our events team Suzanne Costello and Phoebe Sallitt, provided a fantastic platform for our young creatives to showcase their talent.

Suzanne Costello, our Events Director, said: “It’s a triple win for Team GB! I couldn’t be prouder of our amazing UK Young Lions for their success. Congratulations to all the teams who participated – it is a huge accolade to take part in the global competition.”

Entries for next year’s Young Lions competition will open in early 2025.