Last Friday, the Cannes International Festival of Creativity officially drew to a close for 2023 after a week long celebration of international creative excellence and media best-in-showmanship.
Outstanding award mentions include Apple’s first Creative Brand of the Year award, nabbing the title from Burger King who had claimed the award for the last three consecutive years.
In other firsts, Argentina took home its first-ever Agency of the Year award thanks to GUT, Buenos Aires, and DDB Worldwide grabbed their first Network of the Year award.
As for the coveted Grand Prix win, four titles were handed out this year: Film, Change, Sustainable Development, Titanium, and For Good.
Here are the exceptional works that took home the highest of Lions accolades:
Film Lions
Apple – R.I.P LEON
Honouring the art of the moving image, two Grand Prix prizes were awarded in Film. The quirkily effective “R.I.P LEON” was produced by Biscuit Filmworks and directed by Andreas Nilsson for Apple.
Film Lions jury president, Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of Le Pub, global chief creative officer of Publicis Worldwide, and chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe Italy, Publicis Worldwide, Global said:
“The first Grand Prix is awarded to the best piece of work in the TV/Cinema section. This winner is a 30-second advertisement that stands out for its sharpness, focused approach.”
ITV x Calm – The Last Photo
Produced by cain&abelDDB, and directed by Nicola Burton, Don Ferguson and Max Fisher, the moving piece highlights the harrowing misconceptions of what individuals at suicide-risk look like.
Bertelli continued: “The second Grand Prix, awarded in the sections that cover online films and other formats, is an incredibly bold idea that required overcoming numerous challenges to execute. Despite this, it remains a straightforward piece of work.”
Glass: The Lion for Change
Korea National Police Agency – Knock Knock
The Glass Lion honours culturally transformative work. “Knock Knock” by Cheil Worldwide Seoul for Korea National Police agency was inspired by Morse code, and offers a nonverbal solution for victims of domestic violence to alert the police.
Sustainable Development Goals Lions
Mastercard – Where to Settle
Celebrating creative innovations in problem solving and solutions that positively impact the world, the Sustainable Development Goals Lions was awarded to ‘Where to Settle’ for Mastercard.
Developed by McCann Poland, the platform allows Ukrainian refugees to prospect employment opportunities and assess the cost of living in select cities and towns in Poland.
Dan Wieden Titanium Lions
The Government of Tuvalu – The First Digital Nation
Awarded to Australia’s own The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song, ‘The First Digital Nation’ for The Government Of Tuvalu, was recognised with the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, a distinction which honours provocative and boundary-breaking creativity.
Titanium Lions jury president, David Droga, CEO of Accenture Song, Global, affirmed: “How does a nation that is sinking keep its borders, sovereignty and rights? How does its people keep its culture, heritage and identity? By completely reorienting the rules and laws of what it is to be recognised as a nation on the global stage.
“This is far more than a creative or tech idea. It’s not even about a disposable execution. It is about recognition, policy, and safeguarding GDP. It is also about creating new precedents for dozens of other countries facing a similar future. This work was the highest scored entry from day one of the prejudging, to the very last vote on the Grand Prix on the final day. It is an idea that needed to happen and should live on far beyond any of us.”
Grand Prix for Good
Foundation Anne de Gaulle – Anne de Gaulle
Honouring work that uses creativity as a force that is felt beyond business metrics, and positively impacts the world at large, this year’s Grand Prix for Good went to to ‘Anne De Gaulle’, For Foundation Anne De Gaulle, by Havas Paris, France.
Philip Thomas, LIONS Chairman, commented of this year’s entries: “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.”
