Cannes Lions has announced the winners of the Creative Data, Media, Direct, PR and Social & Creator Lions during the third Awards Show of the 2026 festival, with campaigns from Peru, the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Italy taking home the top honours.
Commenting on the latest winners, Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions, said: “Wednesday’s Lion-winning work demonstrates the power of creativity to drive growth for business, people and society at large. Thanks, once again, to our exceptional Juries for setting the global creative benchmark for the industry.”
In the Creative Data Lions, which attracted 391 entries, Peru’s Circus Grey won the Grand Prix for ‘SOS POS’ created for BCP. The initiative transformed ordinary payment terminals into account-blocking points for victims of mobile phone theft, reaching more than 34 million Peruvians.
Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia and Jury President, said: “Our Grand Prix work stood apart for the beautiful simplicity of its idea and the imaginative use of data – data used to protect data. It turned an everyday payment terminal into a lifeline at a moment of real vulnerability. It solved a human problem, strengthened trust in a difficult-to-differentiate banking category, and showed how Creative Data can drive business impact while scaling protection for people and society in a way that can transcend boundaries.”
The Media Lions received 1,432 entries, with the Grand Prix awarded to ‘Build Your Own Super Bowl’ for Uber Eats by Special, Los Angeles. The campaign allowed users to create their own Super Bowl commercial through an in-app experience, generating strong engagement and sales growth.
Sindhuja Rai, Chief Client Officer, WPP Media APMEA and Jury President, said: “This is modern marketing at its most transformative. Rather than using communications to drive consumers to the product, it turned the product itself into the communications platform – seamlessly uniting creativity, media, technology, talent, commerce, and personalization into a single connected experience, effectively collapsing the traditional funnel. The result was a campaign that didn’t just capture attention; it converted participation and engagement directly into business growth.”
In the Direct Lions, which attracted 1,325 entries, the Grand Prix went to ‘Uva Uva Bombón’ for UVA App by de la Cruz Ogilvy, San Juan. The campaign capitalised on the cultural buzz surrounding Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance to drive immediate consumer engagement for the delivery platform.
Jury President Joaquín Cubría, Chief Creative Officer of GUT Argentina, said: “In an industry obsessed with control, this work proved that courage is still our most valuable currency. A challenger brand chose the most expensive advertising day of the year not to outspend the competition, but to outsmart it. A bold, simple idea that turned uncertainty into disproportionate impact.”
The PR Lions Grand Prix was awarded to ‘The KitKat Heist’ for KitKat by Burson, London. The campaign turned a product theft incident into a global communications opportunity that enhanced brand perception.
Dana Tahir, CEO of HAVAS Red Middle East and Egypt and Jury President, said: “Crisis communications has long been the discipline of caution, protecting reputation, minimizing damage, staying safe. But this year’s work rewrote those rules entirely. KitKat didn’t just manage a crisis, they transformed it into a cultural moment, proving that creative bravery and crisis counsel can coexist. This work didn’t eliminate risk, it choreographed it. Every pun, every quote was calibrated to keep the brand on the right side of the line. And in doing so, it set a new standard for what’s possible when brands trust their instincts and lean into the unexpected. We hope this work serves as a reminder that the greatest opportunities often hide inside the biggest challenges, and that crisis, handled with creativity and courage, can become a brand’s finest moment.”
In the Social & Creator Lions, the Grand Prix went to ‘Could Have Been a Heineken’ by LePub, Milan. The campaign encouraged people to replace lengthy WhatsApp voice notes with real-life social interactions over a beer.
Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer at LePub and Jury President, said: “Voice notes make connection easier, faster. But for a new social behaviour – do they really make us more social? Heineken makes a beautifully crafted argument that a long voice note is best delivered in person. Whether you love voice notes or hate them, you can’t really argue with that. The Jury decided to award the Grand Prix for its social-first simplicity and iconicity, and for converting a new social behaviour into the oldest social behaviour.”
The festival also announced its latest Special Awards. Carat was named Media Network of the Year, followed by OMD Worldwide and PHD Worldwide. In the Healthcare Agency of the Year category, Burson London secured the top position, ahead of Golin Ketchum London and Ninch Company Buenos Aires.
