Cannes Lions unveils revamped categories, entry criteria for 2024
By Ibidunni Banjoko
As anticipation builds for the 2024 Cannes Lions, the renowned festival has announced several significant changes and additions to its categories and entry criteria. With a keen eye on evolving industry trends and a shifting advertising landscape, the alterations aim to reflect the current creative climate and encourage a broader spectrum of innovative work.
New Categories and Updates:
1. Humour Category: A fresh addition to the Cultural & Context sections, the humour category responds to the surge in witty and satirical advertising. Aimed at fostering amusement and memorable connections with audiences through wit and satire, this category acknowledges the rise in humorous approaches post the earnestness of the Covid era.
2. Luxury & Lifestyle Lions: Recognizing impactful creativity in the luxury sector, this new Lion focuses on innovative brand communications, experiences, and business solutions driving brand loyalty, business performance, and craftsmanship-rooted creativity.
3. Innovation Lions: Expanding to encompass environmental, societal, and financial innovation, the Innovation Lions will highlight groundbreaking solutions, technologies, and problem-solving that translate imaginative ideas into tangible impact.
4. Social & Influencer Lions: Refreshed and expanded, this category aims to better acknowledge the pivotal role of content creators in shaping and amplifying brand messages.
5. Audio & Radio Lions: Renamed to Audio & Radio Lions, this category reflects the evolving prominence of audio content across diverse platforms beyond traditional radio, emphasizing its breakthrough from conventional roots.
6. PR Lions: Revised to align with current industry dynamics, the PR Lions celebrate work delivering brand messages, instigating behavior change, or engaging customers at scale.
Changes in Entry Requirements:
Excellence in PR Craft: This section, under PR Lions, is restricted for submission and payment by independent PR agencies, PR network-owned companies, or independent PR networks, with entry limits removed.
Retirement of Mobile Lions: To adapt to the ubiquitous integration of mobile devices in creativity, the Mobile Lions category has been phased out. Mobile-first creativity will still find its place across other Lions.
New Compulsory Elements:
Cultural Context Question: Compulsory for all entries, this question requires entrants to explain how their work aligns with the brand, market, and current time, aiding jurors in understanding the nuances better.
AI Disclaimer: Entrants must disclose if AI was used in their work, enhancing transparency and aiding jurors in fair evaluation.
Sustainability and DE&I Questions: A voluntary option allowing entrants to share their sustainability and DE&I initiatives with jurors, fostering discussions and acknowledging progress in these critical areas.
The introduced changes underscore Cannes Lions’ commitment to capturing the evolving creative landscape while fostering transparency, inclusivity, and relevance in the advertising world.
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