A historic edition for the African creative industry: Kenya secured its first Grand Prix in Cannes history, and Greece also landed its first — in Creative Business Transformation. Independent shop Mother London took the Film Grand Prix. The through-line of Cannes 2026: new geographies breaking a podium that used to belong to the same handful of markets.
canneslions.comTBWA's global CCO takes the chair for the festival's most prestigious jury — the one reserved for work that breaks the category open. Sobhani led DDB Worldwide to Network of the Year in 2025 and has built work for McDonald's, adidas, Google, Disney and P&G. A signal of who's setting the bar for "game-changing" this year.
tbwa.comThe Drum's mid-year snapshot of who's winning the most award metal in 2026 puts Vaseline on top, with Tecate and Ziploc climbing fast. Useful as a scoreboard: it shows which brands are turning creative investment into recognition right now — and which categories (personal care, mass beer, household) are quietly out-creating the usual glamour sectors.
thedrum.comThe Goodby Silverstein co-founder pushes back on the industry's AI rush, warning of a coming wave of creative laziness as teams reach for the tool before the idea. Not anti-technology so much as pro-thinking: the argument is that craft and original judgment are exactly what a brand can't outsource to a model.
thedrum.comGold went to work like SickKids 150 "Balloonspotting" by Citizen Relations and "Thank Jif It's Friday" by Saatchi X for JM Smucker, alongside campaigns from Hunter & Gale, Mekanism and 72andSunny. A good reference reel of American work that pairs cultural resonance with measurable results — worth a scroll for campaign structure ideas.
thedrum.com