National CineMedia, the U.S. representative to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, has announced the winners of the 2023 U.S. Young Lions competition. More than 280 entries were submitted this year by creative rising stars working across the advertising, digital, media, creative and PR industries, a 16 percent increase of Young Lions entrants to the competition compared to last year.
The winners will compete in person for the first time in four years as Team USA in the global Young Lions competition at the Cannes Lions International Festivity of Creativity, the world’s leading celebration of creative marketing and communications, taking place from June 19 to June 23 in Cannes, France.
NCM launched its first Young Lions marketing campaign this year, Represent! The campaign was designed to raise awareness, drive greater participation, and deepen industry support to help advance and amplify our most creative rising stars in the industry. NCM also elevated the 2023 Young Lions competition by enlisting a diverse group of prestigious judges comprised of over 75 senior brand and agency executives from companies including Meta, Amazon, Kia, Coty, Coca-Cola, LinkedIn, McDonald’s, and Paramount.
Entrants were challenged to develop a creative and innovative campaign in their respective categories on behalf of the 2023 Young Lions official charity partner, The Creative Ladder. The organization, founded by Ryan Reynolds, is dedicated to making creative careers more accessible and inclusive for young people. Participants were tasked with helping the nonprofit address the awareness gap surrounding creative careers.
“This year’s Young Lions winners fully embody the meaning of the Represent! campaign – they are the next generation of creative innovators with limitless potential. We’re excited to showcase their talents on the global stage at Cannes,” said Amy Tunick, chief marketing officer for National CineMedia. “NCM, Cannes Lions and The Creative Ladder are all dedicated to creating opportunities and space for young, diverse professionals to flourish.”
In addition to representing in Cannes as Team USA, the Young Lions winners will be featured in a video airing in movie theaters across the U.S. this spring. The movie trailer style video stars Young Lions judges and competitors and is co-produced by NCM’s in-house creative team, Noovie Studios, and FCB New York, the first content production sponsor of Young Lions.
Jenni Middleton, senior vice president, editor-in-chief, Lions, said, “We’re thrilled that the Young Lions Competitions are back in person this year, for the first time since 2019. Competitors will go through the Festival week together as a community, working in an onsite agency, which will create the best possible environment for creativity to prosper. Teams will have access to digital boot camps, on-site sessions to boost their inspiration and will also have the opportunity to debrief with a Cannes Lions Juror. Our aim this year is to bring Connection, Community and Celebration to the heart of the Young Lions Competitions. Best of luck to all those entering this year, we’re looking forward to seeing how our Young Lions are inspired.”
Visit the National CineMedia website for a complete list of the winners www.ncm.com.