The newly appointed Cannes Lions Festival representative in Australia, APN Outdoor, has announced that entries are now officially open for the 2018 Young Lions Competition.

The competition will cover three of the seven Young Lions categories including Media, Digital and Marketer. The entries are open to all industry professionals 30 years and under.

APN Outdoor’s general manager of marketing, Charlotte Valente, said: “The Young Lions competition provides a unique opportunity to showcase homegrown talent on the global stage.

“At APN Outdoor, we are extremely excited to be a part of such a renowned opportunity and encourage all eligible media, marketing and creative professionals to embrace the challenge and the unique opportunity it offers.

“We wish all entrants the best of luck and look forward to seeing what fantastic ideas are once again representing Australia in Cannes.”

Terry Savage, chairman of Cannes Lions, said: “Australia has been consistently ranked in the top creative countries in the world at Cannes Lions.

“They have the two most awarded Campaigns in Cannes history; last year an Australian agency was named Cannes agency of the year. This strong and consistent performance is in no small measure due to the encouragement we give our youth.

“APN Outdoor’s role in 2018 to give our Young teams the opportunity to participate in the global competitions in Cannes is the very sort of initiative that will keep us at the top.”

Now in its tenth year, the Young Lions competition searches for the best young talent in media, marketing and creative industries to represent Australia at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

All entries will be assessed by a team of carefully-chosen industry experts, with successful entrants taking part in a second round 24-hour brief.

Winners of the second and final round go on to represent Australia in the 65th edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.

Entries for the first round of the Young Lions competition close at 5pm (AEST) on Monday 16 April 2018.