The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has received a total of 26,992 entries for this year’s awards, an increase of 6% from 2022.
Lions CEO Simon Cook said, “The shifts in the work that’s been entered provides us with a powerful insight into the industry landscape and the emerging trends. A high increase in submissions made directly from consumer product brand companies demonstrates the value being placed on creativity that drives business. The strong engagement across a breadth of Lions including emerging areas like B2B, Gaming, Commerce and Business Transformation shows us that there is a growing confidence and investment in non-traditional channels. Over the next week, our Juries will curate a body of Lion-worthy work and set the global benchmark that will propel us into the year ahead, supporting those using creativity to drive progress.”
In its inaugural year, the Entertainment Lions for Gaming received 609 submissions, demonstrating the increase of collaboration between brands and the growing gaming industry. Lions chairman Philip Thomas commented, “The number of submissions received in its first year shows a really strong engagement with the Gaming Lion and is testament to the relevance and opportunity that gaming now holds within the creative marketing community. We’re excited to see the body of work that emerges from this Lion, and I’d like to thank the jury in advance for setting the very first benchmark in creativity in Gaming and showing what is possible in this hugely exciting area.”
Some of the Lions with increased engagement include the Brand Experience & Activation Lions which have seen an increase of 16%, compared to 2022, reflecting brands’ renewed focus on enhancing customer experience and brand building. The Creative Strategy Lions have increased by 35%, recognizing the application of creative solutions that allow brands to unlock sustainable growth and measure impact effectively. Now in its third year, the Creative Business Transformation Lions have seen a 59% increase, demonstrating how creativity is a driving force behind successful businesses going through a time of change. The Creative Commerce Lions have increased 25% year over year (YOY), demonstrating an area of high innovation in creative customer journeys and paths to purchase. Outdoor Lions have seen an increase of 7% in submissions; partly driven by the FMCG sector where entries grew by 30% YOY and also from the travel sector which saw an 84% increase YOY. The Entertainment Lions–which sit at the intersection of branded content and culture–have increased 18% YOY and saw a 78% jump in submissions from the consumer services sector.
Additional growth includes: Glass: The Lion for Change up 30% YOY, as well as Innovation Lions with a 30% YOY increase.
Jury members from across the world have now convened in Cannes to judge and award world-class creativity. The winners of the Lions will be announced at the Award Shows taking place each evening throughout the Festival, from June 19-23.
Local school staple “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” from 1939 hits the big screen nationwide
Most Maine schoolchildren know about the boy lost for more than a week in 1939 after climbing the state's tallest mountain. Now the rest of the U.S. is getting in on the story.
Opening in 650 movie theaters on Friday, "Lost on a Mountain in Maine" tells the harrowing tale of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who spent nine days on Mount Katahdin and the surrounding wilderness before being rescued. The gripping story of survival commanded the nation's attention in the days before World War II and the boy's grit earned an award from the president.
For decades, Fendler and Joseph B. Egan's book, published the same year as the rescue, has been required reading in many Maine classrooms, like third-grade teacher Kimberly Nielsen's.
"I love that the overarching theme is that Donn never gave up. He just never quits. He goes and goes," said Nielsen, a teacher at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco, who also read the book multiple times with her own kids.
Separated from his hiking group in bad weather atop Mount Katahdin, Fendler used techniques learned as a Boy Scout to survive. He made his way through the woods to the east branch of the Penobscot River, where he was found more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where he started. Bruised and cut, starved and without pants or shoes, he survived nine days by eating berries and lost 15 pounds (7 kilograms).
The boy's peril sparked a massive search and was the focus of newspaper headlines and nightly radio broadcasts. Hundreds of volunteers streamed into the region to help.
The movie builds on the children's book, as told by Fendler to Egan, by drawing upon additional interviews and archival footage to reinforce the importance of family, faith and community during difficult times,... Read More