Written by Kianna Best on Jun 24, 2023. Posted in Awards and Festivals

And that’s a wrap on Cannes Lions 2023

On Friday 23 June, the 70^th edition of Cannes Lions came to a close with a night of celebrations and the daily announcement of the final winners for the celebration. Across the Palais and spreading to the beach, this year’s celebration spotlighted the importance of conversation and the value of diversity and inclusivity in the creative media space. As ideas were shared and projects awarded across the weekly updated categories, the variety of thought was a welcomed new wave in the advertising space for another successful year.

Philip Thomas, Chairman, LIONS, said, "The body of Lion-winning work that emerged from the Jury rooms points the way forward, and demonstrates the power of the industry to drive change, build businesses and shape society. Congratulations to all those who entered, who made the shortlists, and who won a Lion at the Festival's 70th edition to set the creative benchmark on the global stage."

Image courtesy of Jim Thirion by Unsplash

From comedic simplicity showing the power of an unsent message in Apple’s R.I.P Leon to the cheery montage of home videos where not all may be as it seems in ITV’s The Last Photo, the last cluster of projects wrapped up the week’s activities with another round of exceptional efforts in advertising. Cheil Worldwide Seoul took home the Glass: The Lion for Change for their Knock Knock campaign for the Korean National Police Agency, bringing awareness to the emergency contract maneuver for those in environments of domestic violence. This award was the first won for region alongside other first taken home by Thailand and Kenya, as well as China’s first ever Titanium Lion.

Mastercard Europe offered insight into the efforts in place for displaced Ukrainians during the war in a project from McCann EMEA. With small Polish towns offering refuge and opportunities, the Where to Settle campaign provides the information needed for Ukrainians entering into the new territories and what is on offer. Drawing awareness to those living with neurodevelopmental conditions, the Grand Prix for Good recipients Anne de Gaulle captured the temporary renaming of the Paris- Charles de Gaulle Airport, the sixth busiest airport in the world, to Paris Anne De Gaulle Airport for his daughter.

On the outskirts of the centre stage of the festival, a global array of brands took over the beaches as they hosted pivotal talks from celebrities and industry professionals alike. From actress, producer and change agent Yara Shahidi talking with Whatsapp on the art of conversation at Meta Beach to  Trevor Noah taking to Spotify beach speaking on the impact of podcasting in conversation with the company’s co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek, the everchanging face creative media was put on display.

Spotlighting the creatives pushing the boundaries outside of competition, the straight 8 shootout saw the screening of the never before seen projects of companies who dared to take the plunge whilst the Young Director’s Awards applauded the next generation of directors. Contenders for the shootout included 72&Sunny Amsterdam, Birth, Biscuit Filmworks, Canal 180, Curly Films, Iris Worldwide, Mr+Positive, Odelay Films, Partizan, Smile, VCCP and Yolafilmo.

Much like preceding years, the Lions continued to champion the utmost creativity from across the globe, pushing new ideas and opening the stage to diverse thinking from all backgrounds. Offering a microphone to important conversations happening both in the industry and society alike, creativity knew no bounds with the work displayed during the week and promising an exciting year to follow up.