Cannes PR Lions shortlist revealed

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the shortlist for this year’s PR Lions, with campaigns featuring social impact dominating the field.

VML emerged as one of the strongest performers in this year’s Cannes PR Lions shortlist, with work from its London, Paris, Antwerp, Bucharest and New York offices appearing across multiple categories. Leading the charge is ‘The KitKat Heist’, shortlisted four times.

Elsewhere, Ogilvy secured a notable presence through campaigns for Alivia Health, Hellmann’s and Allianz France, while Golin picked up shortlist places for Specsavers’ ‘The Relationship Aid’, ASICS’ ‘The Undropped Kit’ and Romania’s ‘I Won’t Play’. McCann also delivered a strong showing, with offices in Lima, London, Argentina and New Zealand represented across categories ranging from events and stunts to corporate purpose.

Independent agencies continue to compete strongly on the global stage. Canada’s ‘Rethink’ earned nominations for IKEA and Penguins International, while Germany’s ‘Serviceplan’ collected shortlist places for work spanning period poverty, Grindr, Penny and Visit Sweden. 

Purpose-led storytelling and social engagement dominated the list, suggesting that, this year, agencies are being rewarded less for traditional publicity and more for tackling social issues. 

The shortlist also reflects the increasingly international nature of PR creativity. Agencies from Peru, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Costa Rica and the Faroe Islands feature alongside established markets including the UK, US, France and Germany.

The full PR Lions shortlist can be found on the Cannes Lions website. Winners will be announced in Cannes on Wednesday.