Complacency killed the cat
Team up, Show off and
Compete in France
The contest is closed!
Thank you to all the participants!
How it works
Cannes Young Lions is the competition that separates the best from the rest. It’s your chance to flex your skill and prove you’re different.
Teams of 2 are given 24-48 hours to flip a brief for a chosen not-for-profit.
Winners are sent to the Cannes Lions Festival in France to compete on the world stage. These are the 2024 categories:
Competition Details
In teams of two, competitors have a 24 hour* window to answer a brief of a selected not-for-profit. The briefs will be released on March 2nd at 9am and closed 24 hours later. Late entries are disqualified with NO EXCEPTIONS (leave enough time for submission and file uploads.)
*Film Category Competitors are given 48 hours.
The winners will be announced at the CMDC 2024 Toronto Summit and be sent to the Cannes Lions Festival in France to compete in the Global competition.
For all dates, details and deadlines click here.
Past Winners
In 18 years of fierce competition, Canada’s Young Lions boast an impressive global track record, clinching the 2nd spot worldwide in Young Lions global victories. With a total of 16 medals, including 3 Gold (Print, Digital, Marketers), 6 Silver (Print, Media, Film), and 7 Bronze (Print, Film, Marketers), their success speaks volumes.
Proudly hosted by The Globe and Mail since 2007 for Print, Digital, and Film, since 2008 for Media, and since 2012 for Marketers, the Young Lions competitions continue to shine on the Canadian stage.
See the Canadian winners’ gallery here.
Jury
An esteemed panel of industry leaders and experts will pore over an expected 375+ submissions from this year’s competitions to determine the best work from Canada’s top young talent in the media, creative and marketing industries.
Click here to see the full list of jury members for each category.
Faqs
Where can I find logo files and brand guidelines for the charity?
You can download the “Competition Assets” folder on the Competition page, which includes the logo in .JPEG, .PNG, and .EPS format, along with a design considerations document.
How firm are the parameters of the brief? E.g. Can I go over the text limit?
We do not recommend this. The parameters are in place for a reason and the judges may not consider submissions that go against the client ask.
What type of images or sounds can I use in my submission?
Free and royalty free images and sounds.
For film submissions, can I use pre-recorded footage?
No, you must create original footage.
I missed the deadline to submit. Can I just email it?
No. Each team is required to submit through the official Entry Submission Form. Late entries and entries submitted through other channels will not be accepted.
Can I switch categories during the competition?
No. All entrants must compete in the category in which they have registered. Any submissions to the categories in which the entrant has not registered will be disqualified.
Does each team member need to submit the entry?
No. Each team will submit one entry to the Entry Submission Form.
Something has come up and I won’t be able to complete the submission. Can I get a refund?
Unfortunately, the registration fee is non-refundable. We cannot honour refunds after the competition has started.