Entries are well and truly open for the 2022 TikTok Cannes Young Lions Competition Australia so we decided to sit down with winners from previous years and pick their brains.
Today we’re with Lizzie Wood from The Monkeys, the 2021 winner of the Cannes Young Lions award in the film category alongside her creative partner Katie Kidd.
Graduating from the University of Sydney in 2015 with a BA (Media and Communications), Marketing, Wood took a detour into Business Development for 4 years before launching into the world of Advertising.
Wood shot through the ranks of creative advertising after snagging herself a copywriting position at The Works in early 2019 then moving on to The Monkeys later that year.
Last year she secured herself the award of ‘Tutors of the year 2021’ at AWARD School, alongside her partner in crime Katie Kidd, and currently rocks the NSW co-chair position at Youngbloods.
Whether you’re thinking of entering the Young Lions competition yourself or just looking to get in the mind of a young creative, check out the interview with Lizzie below.
What originally inspired you to enter?
Honestly, I was bitter about coming second the year prior and was desperate to win. But also because it’s a great experience. You get to make work purely off your own bat without anyone giving you advice, which is a really cool challenge. There’s no security in a Creative Director reviewing your ideas or giving you feedback, you have to trust your gut and go with it.
How have things changed since you won your award?
I guess the main change is that I now sit at my desk in a gold throne and my ECD feeds me grapes on the hour. Aside from that, not a ton. I won a trip to Cairns which is exciting. Not quite as exciting as Cannes, but I hear it’s pretty french up in far north Queensland. I guess producing anything on the side can show your creative directors what kind of work you’d like to make, and what you can do. It’s a way to showcase ideas that you might not get to concept or make in your day to day.
So what advice would you give to this year’s entrants? And is there anything you wish you’d known when you were preparing your response?
Hate to be a cliche, but have fun with it. While I don’t know exactly what the judges are looking for, this is a chance to show a unique thought, the benefit for you is that you can show the diversity of your thinking. So go left of field. There’s no point making the same ad everyone else will.
How important is the Cannes Young Lions Award for the industry? And why?
I think it’s great. It’s a really good way to show how talented some of the young people are in this industry. Every year there’s so many really great ideas that come out of it because people aren’t tied down by competing client objectives or brand legacy or any other rules. It brings together a bunch of people as enthused about creativity as each other, and encourages them to be even more so. Plus it’s almost the only way to get to Cannes for free.
Check out Lizzie and Katie’s winning entry right HERE.
The Young Lions Australia competition, presented by TikTok is officially open for entries and we’re on the lookout to find the best and brightest of young Aussie talent to compete at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
If you’re under 30 the Young Lions competitions are one of the best places to celebrate your creativity. Entries are open to teams of two young advertising, media or marketing professionals.
This year’s competition will cover five Young Lions categories, including a brand-new category for Design professionals.
Get started on your entry HERE, as the deadline for submissions (14 MARCH 2022) will be here before you know it. You can find all the details you’ll need right HERE.
