Quick Summary
Cannes Lions 2026, the 73rd edition of the International Festival of Creativity, ran June 22–26, 2026 in Cannes, France. VML’s “Oreo Cows” and Dini Von Muffling Communications’ “The Legacy of Virginia Giuffre” were among the global Titanium Lion winners, alongside Anthropic’s Claude “A Time and a Place” campaign, which took the Film Grand Prix. Ogilvy claimed Network of the Year honors across three separate regions, and AI, particularly “agentic AI”, dominated festival conversation, with 40% of this year’s entries reportedly using AI in some form.
When and Where It Happened
The 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity took place over five days, June 22–26, 2026, centered at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
The event is owned by Informa plc and remains the advertising and marketing industry’s most prestigious annual awards gathering, drawing agencies, brands, media companies, and increasingly, individual creators from around the world.
AB InBev opened this year’s programme with a keynote on the Lumière Theatre stage on the festival’s first morning. Oprah Winfrey received this year’s Cannes LionHeart honor, while Apple senior VP of services Eddy Cue was named Entertainment Person of the Year, appearing on stage alongside producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Titanium Lion Winners
Titanium, the festival’s top honor for work that sets new creative benchmarks, was awarded across several campaigns rather than a single winner this year:
- VML — “Oreo Cows” (New York and Mexico City teams), telling the story of a Mexican farmer whose cows bear markings resembling the Oreo cookie. The campaign also collected two golds and two silvers across other categories during the week.
- Dini Von Muffling Communications — “The Legacy of Virginia Giuffre,” detailing the communications work behind the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking survivor whose story and memoir contributed to the resignations of several powerful executives.
- Leo Australia — “Haven” for Suncorp Insurance.
- Comando Con Venezuela (Caracas) and Rainbow Lobster (Mexico City) — “600K Network.”
- adam&eve\TBWA London — “Expedition Impossible” for Columbia Sportswear, in which the brand’s CEO challenged flat-earthers to prove their theory for a chance to win the company itself.
The Anthropic Claude Campaign That Stole the Spotlight
One of the most talked-about wins of the week came from outside traditional advertising circles: Anthropic’s Claude campaign, “A Time and a Place,” created by Mother London, won the Film Grand Prix.
The campaign’s two spots, “Can I Get a Six Pack Quickly?” and “How Can I Communicate Better With My Mom?”, debuted during Super Bowl LX and were widely noted for directly referencing a competitor’s announcement that it would introduce advertising into its own AI chatbot product.
Selected Grand Prix Winners by Category
The festival spread its Grand Prix announcements across multiple days. Some of the most notable category winners:
| Category | Winner | Brand/Client |
| Film | “A Time and a Place” — Mother London | Anthropic (Claude) |
| Creative Effectiveness | “Three Words” — Publicis Conseil, Paris | AXA France |
| Creative Strategy | “The Pub That Refused to Die” — LePub Milan / Publicis Dublin | Heineken |
| Luxury | “Warmer Together” — WeSayHi | Moncler |
| Brand Experience & Activation | “Expedition Impossible” — adam&eve\TBWA London | Columbia Sportswear |
| Creative Business Transformation | “The Wedding Rice” — McCann Athens | Wikifarmer (Greece’s first-ever Grand Prix) |
| Creative Commerce | “Lucky Fan Index” — VML Warsaw | Wisła Kraków Football Club |
| Creative B2B | “The Faroe Islands Space Program” — NORD Stockholm | SKF |
| Innovation | “Supernova Adaptive” | Adidas |
| Outdoor | “Field Barcode” — Rethink | — |
| Audio & Radio | “Coquí Alarmed” — BBDO Puerto Rico | Hyundai Puerto Rico |
| Pharma | “Relax Your Tight End” — Fallon, Minneapolis | Novartis |
AXA France’s “Three Words” win is notable for a specific reason: the same campaign won the Titanium Grand Prix the prior year, and it returned to take the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix this year, recognition for a home-insurance policy clause that helps domestic abuse survivors access emergency relocation support.
Network of the Year
Ogilvy had a dominant week, winning Network of the Year honors across three separate regions:
- Regional Network of the Year — Asia: Ogilvy
- Regional Network of the Year — Europe: TBWA Worldwide
- Regional Network of the Year — MENA: McCann
- Regional Network of the Year — Latin America: Ogilvy
- Regional Network of the Year — North America: Ogilvy
- Regional Network of the Year — Pacific: Leo
- Regional Network of the Year — Sub-Saharan Africa: Leo
- Media Network of the Year (global): Carat
- Asia Regional Network of the Year: Ogilvy, led by Singapore’s “Vaseline Verified” and “Vaseline Originals” campaigns
FP7 McCann MENAT was separately named MENA Network of the Year for the region after claiming the most metals among regional agencies.
The Entry That Got Pulled
Not every story from this year’s festival was celebratory. Cannes Lions OpenAI confirmed that, following consultation with the entrant company, the Creative Data Lions Grand Prix winner, “Efficient Way to Pay” for Consul, created by DM9, was withdrawn after the win was announced. Cannes Lions did not provide extensive public detail on the specific reason in its official statement.
AI Was Everywhere — Especially “Agentic AI”
Artificial intelligence dominated festival conversation this year, both in the work being awarded and in the panels and keynotes filling the schedule. According to festival coverage, roughly 40% of this year’s entries used AI in some form.
“Agentic AI”, AI systems capable of independently setting goals, planning, and executing tasks without constant human guidance, emerged as a particularly recurring theme. Adobe used the festival’s opening day to announce expanded agency and technology partnerships specifically focused on agentic AI adoption.
OpenAI executives appeared in multiple keynote conversations throughout the week, including a session titled “Advertising in the Age of AI” featuring the company’s chief revenue officer.
Google separately unveiled “Project Genie,” a prototype tool allowing users to generate interactive virtual worlds from text prompts, photos, or a library of premade environments, building on the company’s earlier “Genie 3” announcement. The tool won the Innovation Lions Grand Prix in a related showing for Adidas’s “Supernova Adaptive.”
Creators Took Up More Space Than Ever
This year’s festival featured more than 250 creators across the Croisette, with “LIONS Creators,” a dedicated track produced in partnership with Adobe, fully integrated into the main festival footprint at the Palais for the first time.
High-profile creators including Steven Bartlett, Mel Robbins, and Jay Shetty drew significant attendee interest alongside traditional A-list attendees.
However, festival coverage noted that not all creators felt their growing presence translated into equal support or integration compared to traditional agency and brand attendees, described by multiple outlets as an industry “still figuring out” how to fully absorb the creator economy into a festival built around traditional advertising and agency structures.
How Specific Countries and Regions Performed
- India closed the festival with five total metals, but did not add any further wins on the festival’s final day.
- Greece won its first-ever Grand Prix, for “The Wedding Rice” (Wikifarmer, by McCann Athens).
- The Czech Republic won its first Grand Prix in another category during the week, according to festival announcements.
- Brazil, New Zealand, Denmark, the UK, Singapore, and the Czech Republic each picked up at least one Grand Prix across various award days, per official Cannes Lions releases.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Cannes Lions 2026 take place?
Cannes Lions 2026, the 73rd edition of the festival, ran June 22–26, 2026, at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
What won the Film Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2026?
Anthropic’s Claude campaign “A Time and a Place,” created by Mother London, won the Film Grand Prix for its two Super Bowl LX spots.
Which network won Network of the Year at Cannes Lions 2026?
Ogilvy won Regional Network of the Year honors in Asia, Latin America, and North America. Carat won global Media Network of the Year, while TBWA Worldwide, McCann, and Leo won in Europe, MENA, and the Pacific/Sub-Saharan Africa regions respectively.
Was any award withdrawn at Cannes Lions 2026?
Yes. The Creative Data Lions Grand Prix winner, “Efficient Way to Pay” for Consul by DM9, was withdrawn following consultation between Cannes Lions and the entrant company.
What was the biggest theme at Cannes Lions 2026?
Artificial intelligence, particularly “agentic AI,” dominated festival conversation. Roughly 40% of this year’s entries used AI in some form, and major AI companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google had a significant on-stage and award-show presence.
