The 63rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which took place between 18 and 25 June, saw 58 South African creatives walk away as winners. This beats the 33 South African winners in 2015.
Sixteen of these awards were in the brand new Print & Publishing Lions category, while 33 were in the Radio Lions category. South Africans also walked away winners in the Promo & Activation Lions, the Outdoor Lions, the Health & Wellness Lions, the Media Lions and the Design Lions categories.
“We are absolutely blown away by the level of South African talent that was on display at this year’s Cannes Lions and it shows in the results,” comments Ster-Kinekor’s General Manager of Promotions & Trade Marketing, Tshireletso Yvonne Diogo. “Bringing home close on 60 awards is no mean feat for these creative agencies and it is a true testament to the high standard of work that they are putting out there. They are truly delivering award-winning campaigns to their clients.”
Winning agencies from South Africa included Ogilvy & Mather, DDB South Africa, FCB Africa, Native VML, Not Norm, Openco – the Open Collaboration and TBWA/Hunt Lascaris, some of them making history with the amount of awards they received. Ogilvy & Mather South Africa, for example, brought home 11 Cannes Lions while Native VML garnered 11 finalists along with Bronze, Silver and Gold Lions.
Ann Nurock, a roving reporter, who was on the ground in Cannes says, “The standard of work this year was very high and the judges were vocal in terms of how strict the judging had been. Which makes the South African awards even more impressive. We now need to deliver better work in Film, Mobile and Cyber.”
Diogo says, “This year’s Cannes Lions called on creatives from around the world to be part of the change. It is evident that the South African industry rose to the challenge.”
Visit www.canneslions.com for more details on the winners.