Cannes Lions has announced the winners of the Creative Data, Media, Direct, PR and Social & Creator Lions at the Festival’s third Awards Show, live from Cannes. The highlights included Peru winning the Creative Data Lions Grand Prix and Puerto Rico taking home the Direct Lions Grand Prix. This marked Puerto Rico’s second Grand Prix of the week.
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.”
From 391 entries received in the Creative Data Lions, celebrating the transformative power of data-driven creativity, 13 Lions were awarded by the jury: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze. The Grand Prix went to “SOS POS,” for BCP, by Circus Grey, Lima, a tool supporting phone theft victims by turning regular POS terminals into account-blocking points, which reached over 34 million Peruvians.
Creative Data Lions Jury president Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia, 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, celebrating the context of creativity, received 1432 entries and 45 Lions were awarded: 7 Gold, 16 Silver, 21 Bronze. The Grand Prix was presented to “Build Your Own Super Bowl,” for Uber Eats, by Special, Los Angeles. A world-first in-app restaurant that allowed fans to build their own Super Bowl commercial, the work connected with new audiences and drove record-breaking sales.
Media Lions Jury president Sindhuja Rai, chief client officer, WPP Media, APMEA, 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.”
From 1,325 entries in the Direct Lions, honoring targeted and response-driven creativity, 42 Lions were awarded: 7 Gold, 13 Silver, 21 Bronze. The Grand Prix was presented to “Uva Uva Bombón,” for UVA App, by de la Cruz Ogilvy, San Juan. UVA, a challenger delivery app, earned attention by riding the momentum of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl headline set, converting a global cultural moment into immediate consumer action.
Direct Lions Jury president Joaquín Cubría, chief creative officer, GUT, Argentina, 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, celebrating the craft of strategic and creative communication, received 1,156 entries, and 37 Lions were awarded: 7 Gold, 12 Silver, 17 Bronze. The Grand Prix was awarded to “The KitKat Heist,” for KitKat, by Burson, London. The work boosted brand perception by turning a KitKat theft into a global call to action.
PR Lions Jury president Dana Tahir, CEO, HAVAS Red, Middle East and Egypt, commented, “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, celebrating creative social thinking and strategic influencer marketing solutions, 1,413 entries were received and 44 Lions awarded: 8 Gold, 14 Silver, 21 Bronze. The Grand Prix was presented to “Could Have Been a Heineken,” for Heineken, by LePub, Milan, which transformed WhatsApp voice notes into an invitation to reconnect. It rewarded people for stepping away from their screens and sharing a beer in person.
Social & Creator Lions Jury president Mihnea Gheorghiu, global chief creative officer, LePub, said, “Voice notes make connection easier, faster. But for a new social behavior–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 behavior into the oldest social behavior.”
Special Awards
Media Network of the Year:
1. Carat
2. OMD Worldwide
3. PHD Worldwide
Healthcare Agency of the Year:
1. Burson, London, United Kingdom
2. Golin Ketchum, London, United Kingdom
3. Ninch Company, Buenos Aires, Argentina
All shortlists and winners are available to view here.
