Mumbai: Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the winners across the Creative Data, Media, Direct, PR and Social & Creator Lions categories during the Festival’s third Awards Show, recognising campaigns that demonstrated creativity’s ability to drive business growth, cultural relevance and societal impact.
Commenting on the winners, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said, “Wednesday’s Lion-winning work demonstrates the power of creativity to drive growth for business, people and society at large. Thanks, once again, to our exceptional Juries for setting the global creative benchmark for the industry.”
In the Creative Data Lions, which celebrate the transformative power of data-driven creativity, 13 Lions were awarded from 391 entries, including 2 Gold, 4 Silver and 6 Bronze.
The Grand Prix was awarded to BCP for SOS POS, created by Circus Grey. The campaign transformed everyday POS terminals into emergency account-blocking points for victims of phone theft, reaching more than 34 million Peruvians.
Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia and Creative Data Lions Jury President, said, “Our Grand Prix work stood apart for the beautiful simplicity of its idea and the imaginative use of data – data used to protect data. It turned an everyday payment terminal into a lifeline at a moment of real vulnerability. It solved a human problem, strengthened trust in a difficult-to-differentiate banking category, and showed how Creative Data can drive business impact while scaling protection for people and society in a way that can transcend boundaries.”
The Media Lions, which celebrate the context of creativity, received 1,432 entries and awarded 45 Lions across categories.
The Grand Prix went to Uber Eats for Build Your Own Super Bowl, created by Special. The campaign transformed the product experience itself into an interactive Super Bowl advertising platform and drove record sales.
Sindhuja Rai, Chief Client Officer, WPP Media APMEA and Media Lions Jury President, said, “This is modern marketing at its most transformative. Rather than using communications to drive consumers to the product, it turned the product itself into the communications platform – seamlessly uniting creativity, media, technology, talent, commerce, and personalization into a single connected experience, effectively collapsing the traditional funnel. The result was a campaign that didn’t just capture attention; it converted participation and engagement directly into business growth.”
In the Direct Lions, recognising targeted and response-driven creativity, 42 Lions were awarded from 1,325 entries.
The Grand Prix was presented to UVA App for Uva Uva Bombón, developed by de la Cruz Ogilvy. The campaign leveraged the cultural momentum surrounding Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance to drive immediate consumer action.
Joaquín Cubría, Chief Creative Officer, GUT Argentina and Direct Lions Jury President, said, “In an industry obsessed with control, this work proved that courage is still our most valuable currency. A challenger brand chose the most expensive advertising day of the year not to outspend the competition, but to outsmart it. A bold, simple idea that turned uncertainty into disproportionate impact.”
The PR Lions, focused on strategic and creative communications, received 1,156 entries and awarded 37 Lions.
The Grand Prix went to KitKat for The KitKat Heist, developed by Burson, London.
Dana Tahir, CEO, HAVAS Red Middle East and Egypt and PR Lions Jury President, said, “Crisis communications has long been the discipline of caution, protecting reputation, minimizing damage, staying safe. But this year’s work rewrote those rules entirely. KitKat didn’t just manage a crisis, they transformed it into a cultural moment, proving that creative bravery and crisis counsel can coexist. This work didn’t eliminate risk, it choreographed it. Every pun, every quote was calibrated to keep the brand on the right side of the line. And in doing so, it set a new standard for what’s possible when brands trust their instincts and lean into the unexpected. We hope this work serves as a reminder that the greatest opportunities often hide inside the biggest challenges, and that crisis, handled with creativity and courage, can become a brand’s finest moment.”
In the Social & Creator Lions, recognising social-first creativity and influencer-led solutions, 44 Lions were awarded from 1,413 entries.
The Grand Prix was awarded to Heineken for Could Have Been a Heineken, created by LePub. The campaign converted WhatsApp voice notes into an invitation for people to reconnect in person.
Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer, LePub and Social & Creator Lions Jury President, said, “Voice notes make connection easier, faster. But for a new social behaviour – do they really make us more social? Heineken makes a beautifully crafted argument that a long voice note is best delivered in person. Whether you love voice notes or hate them, you can’t really argue with that. The Jury decided to award the Grand Prix for its social-first simplicity and iconicity, and for converting a new social behaviour into the oldest social behaviour.”
The Festival also announced its Special Awards.
Media Network of the Year rankings were:
- Carat
- OMD Worldwide
- PHD Worldwide
Healthcare Agency of the Year rankings were:
- Burson, London
- Golin Ketchum, London
- Ninch Company, Buenos Aires
All shortlists and winning work remain available on The Work platform, with additional details accessible through Cannes Lions.
