Summary

Over the weekend of March 2, 2024– March 4, 2024, teams of two will participate in a live competition in their registered category, modeled after the global competitions in Cannes. A brief for a not-for-profit organization will be unveiled when the competition begins.

The Print, Digital, Media and Marketers entry submission runs from Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. EST to Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. EST.

The Film entry submission runs from Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. EST to Monday, March 4, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. EST.

The entry submission form will be live only during these periods. Late entries result in automatic disqualification – THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS.

Tip: Make sure you budget enough time to fully complete the submission form which can take some time, especially in the case of large files.

Key Dates

• January 8, 2024 – January 19, 2024, at 11:59pm EST: Early-bird rate registration is open for the 2024 Canadian Young Lions competition. Register during this time for a discount on the registration fee.
• January 20, 2024 – February 11, 2024, at 11:59pm EST: Regular priced registration is open for the 2024 Canadian Young Lions competition.
• March 2, 2024 – March 4, 2024: Competition dates
• Pre-Competition Training Webinars:
  • Media Category: Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 12:00pm – 1:00pm EST.
  • Marketers Category: Friday, February 23, 2024, 12:00pm – 1:00pm EST.
• Monday, April 15, 2024, 12:00pm – 3:30pm: Marketers Category Live-Judging. This will take place in-person at The Globe and Mail Centre (351 King St. E, Suite 1600, Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1)
• Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 10:00pm – 1:30pm: Media Category Live-Judging. This will take place in-person at The Globe and Mail Centre (351 King St. E, Suite 1600, Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1)
• Wednesday April 24, 2024: Winners are announced at the CMDC 2024 Summit in Toronto, Ontario. Exact times and details to be announced closer to.
• June 17, 2024 – June 21, 2024: Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France
  • Global Young Lions Competition takes place during the festival week at Cannes Lions

Eligibility

To be eligible to enter, you must:

• be Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada at the time of entry, or have a valid Canadian work permit throughout the competition starting from your registration up until June 21, 2024.
• be at least the legal age of majority in your province or territory, and not older than 30 years of age prior to June 21, 2024.
• be able to submit your entry in English.
• be available to participate in the Global Young Lions Competition during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity during the June 17 – June 21, 2024 Festival.

For the Digital, Print & Film Categories you must:

• be professionals employed by or working freelance for a creative communication, advertising, or digital agency.

For the Media Category you must:

• be employed by or working freelance for: (A) a media agency; or (B) specific in-house media departments in agencies.

For the Marketers Category you must:

• be working for client companies that engage the services of advertising or communications companies (i.e., Intel, Coca-Cola), or a digital agency. We do not accept advertising agencies to compete in the Young Marketers competition. Freelancers are not eligible to compete in the Marketing Category.

How to Enter

Make sure each member of your team has:

• Read and agreed to the 2024 Official Young Lions Competition Rules
• Completed and submitted a Registration Form (1 form per person)
• Paid a non-refundable Registration Fee (prices vary on when you registered)
• Submitted a competition entry that meets the requirements of the competition brief released on March 2, 2024.

For detailed requirements, please review the 2024 Official Young Lions Competition Rules.

Judging

Submissions will be reviewed by this year’s panel of judges.

For the Media category, up to 5 shortlisted teams per category will be invited to present their submission in an in-person live judging session on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, taking place from 10:00am – 1:30pm, at The Globe and Mail Centre (351 King St. E. Suite 1600, Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1).

Each member of the shortlisted team must attend the live judging session to present their submission. There is an automatic disqualification for teams that only have one team member present.

For the Marketers category, up to 5 shortlisted teams per category will be invited to present their submission in an in-person live judging session on Monday, April 15, 2024, taking place from 12:00pm – 3:30pm, at The Globe and Mail Centre (351 King St. E. Suite 1600, Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1).

Each member of the shortlisted team must attend the live judging session to present their submission. There is an automatic disqualification for teams that only have one team member present.

Prizing

In addition to being awarded Canada’s Young Lions for 2024 and representing Canada at the Cannes Lions Festival, each winning team receives:

• Registration to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France
• Two (2) full-week registration passes to attend the Festival
• Round-trip economy airfare and return airport transfers to Nice, France
• Accommodation in a single occupancy room in Cannes, France for the duration of the Festival
• In the event the Festival in Cannes, France is canceled and/or travel restrictions are in place preventing travel to Cannes, France, each winning team member will receive in place of attending the Festival a prize of $5,000.00 cash per winning team. For the avoidance of doubt each winning team member will receive $2,500.00 cash.