Cannes Lions unveils 2026 Awarding Jury line-up

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its Awarding Jury line-up for the 2026 edition of the Festival, which will take place from 22 to 26 June in Cannes, France. The juries will be responsible for evaluating entries and setting the global standard for creative excellence across categories.

This year’s selection brings together senior leaders from across agencies, brands and production companies worldwide, with increased representation from independent agencies and emerging markets, including Africa, MENA, LATAM and the Pacific region.

Broader global representation across juries

The 2026 juries include first-time participation from several markets and organizations, including French insurer AXA following its strong performance in the previous year’s awards, where it secured 13 Lions.

Organizers highlighted expanded geographic diversity, with new jurors from countries such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, alongside wider participation from global creative networks and independent agencies.

Simon Cook, Chief Executive Officer, LIONS: "The impact of the Cannes Lions Jury can’t be underestimated. Their time and expertise in recognising groundbreaking work sets the global creative benchmark for the year ahead and provides a view of the future shape of creativity. Each year, our Juries are carefully selected to uphold this standard, and this year is no exception. Welcoming new expert voices across a breadth of markets and disciplines, we are delighted to bring together some of the industry’s most well-respected leaders to define the creative standards driving our industry forward and celebrate the transformative power of creativity to create change, shape society, and build business."

Marian Brannelly, Global Director of Awards, LIONS: "The composition of this year’s Juries speaks to how creativity is evolving – it’s becoming more interconnected, more diverse, and more influential across every part of business. With more markets than ever represented and a growing number of leaders from independent agencies and brands, this year’s line-up will ensure that the work is judged through a truly global and contemporary lens. This is critical to setting the benchmark for creative excellence today. We thank all our experts for the care and dedication they will bring to the judging process."

Global industry leaders across categories

The juries span a wide range of disciplines, including Audio & Radio, Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Strategy, Design, Digital Craft, Film, Media, Outdoor, PR, Pharma, Innovation and more.

Senior leaders from organizations such as AKQA, Meta, Google, Ogilvy, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu, TikTok, Unilever and Spotify are among those selected to evaluate entries across categories.

Several regions are strongly represented, including Brazil, South Africa, India, Australia, Japan and the United States, reflecting the Festival’s continued focus on global participation.

Festival returns in June 2026

The 73rd edition of Cannes Lions will take place in Cannes, bringing together jurors, entrants and industry leaders to evaluate and celebrate creative work from around the world.

Further announcements will follow for the remaining juries, including Creative Brand, Dan Wieden Titanium and Luxury categories.

The full list of the jury line-up can be accessed here

www.canneslions.com

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