Cannes Lions announces 2026 Awarding Jury line-up
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place 22-26 June 2026, has announced its Awarding Jury line-up for this year’s Festival. This exceptional group of global experts will convene in Cannes this June to set the global benchmark for creative excellence. This year’s Juries reflect the growing diversity of the voices shaping the global creative industry, with fresh perspectives from independent agencies and brands across an array of sectors. Amongst those making their Jury debut is French brand, AXA, following its success in 2025, winning 13 Lions. The line-up also welcomes increased representation from across Africa, Pacific, MENA and LATAM, including first-time Jurors from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
Commenting on this year’s line-up, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “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, added: “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.”
Glass: The Lion for Change
Jury President
Monique Nelson | Executive Chair, UWG, USA
andre (g.) gray | Chief Brand Officer, Overtime, USA
Anna Johannes | Co-Founder, Culxtured, USA
Breana Auberry | Global Brand Director, Culture Marketing and Collaborations, The LEGO Group, Global Rana Sadek | Senior Creative Director, IMPACT BBDO Dubai, UAE
Sonita Alizadeh | Rapper, Global
Suhana Gordhan | Chief Creative Officer and Founder, LoveSong, South Africa
Zoe Hamilton | Global Chief Strategy Officer for Unilever, Ogilvy, Global
Viviane Duarte | CEO, Plano Feminino, Brazil
Health & Wellness
Jury President
Kainaz Karmakar | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, India
Allison Ceraso | Chief Creative Officer, Digitas Health, USA
Amanda Fuller | Managing Partner, Omnicom Health, Oceania
Donevan Chew | Chief Creative Officer, Havas, Malaysia
Joseph Bonnici | Chief Creative Officer and Owner, Tadiem, Canada
Marília Zanoli | Chief Marketing Officer, Kimberly-Clark, Brazil
Muhannad Kadi | Chief Marketing Officer, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Saudi Arabia
Norkor Duah | CEO, MullenLowe Accra, Ghana
Raimundo Undurraga | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Chile
Séverine Autret | Global Creative Excellence Lead, Opella, Global
Pharma
Jury President
Tracey Brader | Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Remedy Edge, UK
Aleisia Gibson Wright | Founder and President, GW Health Public Relations, USA
Alex Okada | Chief Creative Officer, Havas Lynx, UK
Andrea Lillis | SVP, Executive Creative Director, Klick Health, North America
Chris Charles | Executive Creative Director, 21GRAMS, a Part of Real Chemistry, USA
Mandi Fine | CEO and Founder, FINE, South Africa
Paola Aldaz | Chief Marketing Officer, Keralty and Colsanitas, Columbia
Ryan Wallman | Executive Creative Director, Wellmark, Australia
Sharon Tan | Head of Client and Growth, Publicis Health, APAC
Wei Fei | Group Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Shanghai, Mainland China
