Cannes Lions First Day Sees UAE Walk Away With Two Grand Prixes

The first day of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for 2022 has come to a close, with the big winners coming from the United Arab Emirates, as two representatives from the nation walked away with the highly coveted Grand Prix award.

More specifically, in the Outdoor Lions category, there were 1,809 entries and 48 Lions were awarded: 10 Gold, 15 Silver and 23 Bronze. However, the Grand Prix went to ‘Liquid Billboard’ by Havas Middle East, Dubai, Cultural Insight for adidas. The world’s first swimmable billboard was created to promote the brand’s new inclusive, full-cover swimwear collection.

In the Print & Publishing Lions, 795 entries were received and 21 Lions awarded: 4 Gold, 6 Silver, and 10 Bronze Lions, and the Grand Prix went to ‘The Elections Edition’ for An-Nahar Newspaper, by Impact BBDO, Dubai, securing a second Grand Prix for the United Arab Emirates.

The truly interesting thing about An-Nahar’s submission was that even though it was in the Print & Publishing category, the newspaper didn’t actually need to print a single piece of paper to win. This was due to the ongoing political situation in Lebanon. The publication attempted to sent a strong message to both the country’s government and the public by not going to print and thus not using paper and ink so that the elections could go on as scheduled. The government’s representatives had previously stated that there simply wasn’t enough to go around and that the process would have to be cancelled.

Commenting on the Grand Prix, Print & Publishing Lions Jury President, Natalie Lam, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA, Hong Kong, SAR, said: “The Elections Edition has the kind of genius simplicity that we often see in Grand Prix winning work. The best work is the least complicated. It cuts through the clutter and hits straight at your heart. The element of innovative thinking also pushes work in the Lion ahead.”

Radio & Audio Lions received 692 entries and 23 Lions were awarded: 3 Gold, 7 Silver, and 12 Bronze Lions. The Grand Prix went to ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ of the British Museum, for VICE Media, by Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru / Dentsu Creative, Mumbai / Dentsu Creative, Guragaon, a creatively ground-breaking unofficial podcast guide to the British Museum’s disputed artifacts.

In the Health & Wellness Lions, honouring creativity for personal well-being, 1,213 entries were received and 38 Lions awarded: 7 Gold, 11 Silver and 19 Bronze. The Grand Prix went to ‘The Killer Pack’, Maxx Flash Mosquito Repellent Coil, by VMLY&R, Mumbai. This mosquito repellent, made from 100% biodegradable, innovative packaging which kills mosquito larvae when disposed in garbage dumps, dustbins and stagnant water, helping to break the vicious cycle of threatening diseases like dengue and malaria in India.

Pharma Lions, which celebrate life-changing creativity, from 298 entries, 11 Lions were awarded: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, and 4 Bronze Lions. The jury awarded the Pharma Grand Prix to ‘I Will Always Be Me’ for Dell Technologies & Intel, VMLY&R, New York. Jury President, Brett O’Connor, executive creative director, VCCP Health, UK, said: “This piece of work blew our minds, the way in which they manage, through the user experience, to tell a very simple story about their condition to loved ones, friends and family. The genius behind the user experience to decrease the process down from three months to 30 minutes for us was just invaluable, especially at a time in their lives when every second counts.”

The Lions Health and United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good, which is given to work created for non-profit organisations and charities, has been awarded to ‘Lil Sugar— Master Of Disguise’ for Hip-Hop Public Health (HHPH) by AREA 23, an IPG Health Network Company, New York.

Driven by a music video with a song, co-written and performed by rap sensation Darryl DMC McDaniels from Run-DMC, this highly creative piece of work used rap, storytelling and gaming to make nutrition literacy fun and turn kids into experts on sugar, driving engagement through Lil Sugar app downloads.

The Young Lions Print Gold winner was also announced live on stage: ‘The Protest Cardboard’ by Will Cega and Rafael Quintal, Germany.

The five Global Growth Councils for Progress will meet at Cannes Lions for the first-time, working collectively during the festival and throughout the year to offer solutions and drive creative progress for business and society at large. On Friday 24 June, the Councils will come together on the Lumiere stage to define the agenda and announce their commitment pledges for the year ahead.