Advertising Council Australia (ACA) has announced the winners of the 2025 Young Lions Competition—exceptional talent who will now represent Australia on the global stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.
After impressing industry juries in a competitive final pitch round held in Sydney yesterday afternoon, the five winning teams demonstrated bold thinking and creativity under pressure in presenting their ideas for the award-winning sustainability app Saveful.
“Young Lions is all about discovering the very best emerging talent Australia has to offer. We’re incredibly proud of this year’s winners and look forward to seeing them compete against more than 70 teams from around the world when they represent Australia on the world stage,” said Tony Hale, CEO, ACA.
2025 Young Lions Australia winners
MEDIA – sponsored by Powered by Nine and supported by Media Federation of Australia
Elizabeth Nan Tie & Tayla Orr – Nine with “#savethecrust”
View their winning work here.
MARKETING – supported by the AANA
Keira Spencer & Jenney Kim – Google Australia with “Fridge First Bonus”
View their winning work here.
DIGITAL – sponsored by Meta and supported by IAB Australia
Amy Morrison & Laura Murphy – M+C Saatchi with “FAST-ER FOOD”
View their winning work here.
FILM – sponsored by Val Morgan
Loz Maneschi & Lewis Clark – Cocogun with “Choose Me Again”
View their winning film here.
PR – supported by Advertising Council Australia
Annabel Begeng & Lily Lazzarotti – Thinkerbell with “The Helpful Hot Potato”
View their winning work here.
“The calibre of entries was outstanding, with smart insights, sharp thinking and bold ideas. Our winners stood out unanimously with a powerful, original solution and commercial rigour—we’re confident they’ll do Australia proud in Cannes,” said Imogen Hewitt, Media Jury Chair and Chief Media Officer at Publicis Groupe ANZ.
“Keira and Jenney delivered a clear, insight-driven idea backed by strong rationale and bold thinking. Their confident presentation won over the jury,” said Jenni Dill, Marketing Jury Chair and CMO, The Arnott’s Group.
“FAST-ER FOOD” is a clever behavioural hack that turns a moment of laziness into inspiration—tapping into food culture to make saving food feel crave-worthy and cool. It’s smart, timely, and culturally spot-on,” said Seamus Higgins, Digital Jury Chair and chief creative officer at R/GA Australia.
“Creating a film from brief to execution in just days is no small feat. The winning team stood out for both idea and craft—we believe they’ll do extremely well in Cannes,” said Tara Ford, Film Jury Chair and Chief Creative Officer at Droga5.
“The standard was exceptional. The winning idea stood out for its clarity, creativity and ability to extend across channels and audiences—it impressed us all,” said James Wright, PR Jury Chair and Global CEO, Red Havas & Global Chairman, Havas PR Global Collective.
Next month, the Australian team will be put through their paces in a full-day boot camp hosted by Nine — a rigorous session designed to sharpen their strategic thinking, polish their presentation skills, and ensure they’re match fit to compete with precision and confidence against on the global stage in Cannes.
Young Lions Australia is sponsored by Meta, Nine, and Val Morgan and supported by the AANA, MFA and IAB Australia.
