Cannes Lions 2026 Grand Prix Winners in Brand Experience & Activation, Business Transformation, Commerce, Effectiveness, Strategy, Innovation, and Luxury
Day four has concluded at Cannes Lions 2026, which means we’ve got more work to celebrate. Exactly seven new Grand Prix winners have been crowned in: Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Business Transformation, Creative Commerce, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Innovation, and Luxury.
In a European-heavy list, today’s winning agencies hail from the UK, Greece, Poland, France, Italy, Ireland, Malta, as well as Canada. Ranging from an adidas shoe made for people with Down syndrome, to Moncler’s beautiful work starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, to the glorious return of a three-time Grand Prix winner from last year, each selection is truly unique in the best way possible, and deserves your attention.
See the full list of Thursday’s Grand Prix winners below:
Brand Experience & Activation Lions
Columbia Sportswear – Expedition Impossible
Columbia Sportswear prides itself on designing products which can be pushed right to the edge. So, to grab attention, the brand, alongside adam&eve\TBWA, decided to literally riff on this, by offering ownership of the entire company to anyone who could find and capture proof of the edge of the Earth. With CEO Tim Boyle himself penning a letter announcing this offer, videos breaking down a full inventory of what could be won, and additional assets like OOH being put into the world, this initiative quickly went viral, all while the brand continued to jump into the debate on social, fuelling even more attention.
In the end, nobody found the edge of the Earth. But, Columbia earned a tonne of PR – 80 million in earned audience, and 10 million in organic views – while most notably, angering a lot of flat-earthers.
Speaking on the winner, jury president Rafael Pitanguy, deputy global chief creative officer, VML, said, “The work managed to simultaneously return to the award’s roots, while being firmly grounded in the present day. At its heart, this is a promotion. A brilliant promotion. The kind of work this category was originally built to celebrate. Yet, it speaks directly to the world we live in today. It isn't afraid to step into controversy and challenge irrationality. Most importantly, the audience wasn't just watching the idea. They were helping bring it to life.
"This project is also impeccable in its craft, in a category where craft is often overlooked. The copywriting is flawless, every word carefully chosen, every comma exactly where it should be. Everything is delivered with clarity, simplicity and a relentless focus on the brand, which is essential in the only category at Cannes that begins with the word ‘Brand’. More than any other piece of work this year, this project proves that the best way to become timeless is by being timely. What looked like an ‘Expedition Impossible’ became a powerful reminder that facts still matter.”
Read more about it here.
Creative Business Transformation Lions
Wikifarmer – The Wedding Rice
In Greece, there’s a cherished, longstanding tradition that involves showering newlyweds with rice. But, for a country that hosts an average of 53,896 weddings a year, this means wasting over 200 tonnes of edible rice annually.
At the same time, 30% of local farmers’ rice production is considered inedible, because it doesn’t meet commercial standards – something that can lead to massive financial losses. Wikifarmer and McCann Greece found a solution, creating a new brand that packaged this otherwise wasted product, with the express purpose of using it for weddings.
Launched with a documentary, the two introduced the country to the fact that, by using the brand’s marketplace, farmers could list their rice and sell directly to wedding planners. Leading to 3 tonnes purchased in the first week alone, the government would go on to endorse this initiative, all while the system was eventually made an open model, for other countries with the same wedding tradition to replicate.
Reflecting on the work, jury president Gugu Mthembu, chief marketing officer, Telkom South Africa, shared, "Each time we went into this work, there were unanimous views in the room that the creative brilliance of it was in its simplicity. There was no significant infrastructure investment that it had to do. There were no significant changes in terms of go-to-market processes. Simplicity is something that we always have to celebrate in creativity."
Read more about it here.
Creative Commerce Lions
Wisła Kraków Football Club – Lucky Fan Index
As we’ve learned through another Grand Prix-winning campaign earlier this week, relegation in football can be a dreadful thing from a financial point of view. Case in point, Wisła Kraków Football Club being knocked down to Poland’s second division. Putting the team in a position where filling the stadium was crucial, this would lead to a brilliant creative moment, in partnership with VML Poland.
Here, the two built on the fan belief that their attendance brings luck to the team, creating an index capable of measuring this exact statistic. Specifically, by cross-referencing individual historical attendance records with years of post-match stats, the team was able to give each supporter an actual rating, reflecting what their viewership had brought the club. Bolstered by the decision to give the luckiest fans VIP box upgrades, and the unluckiest ones fan shop discounts to buy luckier merch, this initiative boosted fan engagement and revenue for the club, leading to an average attendance increase of 42.2%, and the highest attendance in the entire league.
Discussing the Grand Prix selection, jury president Phil Camarota, chief creative officer, Flywheel, said, "The best creative commerce doesn't just deliver value – it completely reimagines what value can mean between a brand and a person. Being relegated is no joke, it impacts the business of the club. It easily could have slashed prices and come up with promotions. Instead, it decided to turn to creativity and figure out a way not just to make the ticket more valuable, but [to] actually make the fans feel valued. Because of that, it really deserves to stand alone in the category."
Creative Effectiveness Lions
AXA France – Three Words
Returning to win its first Grand Prix in 2026 (after winning three in 2025) is this legendary campaign from Publicis Conseil and AXA.
This initiative saw the two adjust the company’s insurance policies to better reflect the needs of people facing domestic violence (a demographic that often has no place to go, and frequently lacks the resources and money to rectify their situations). By adding three simple words, “and domestic violence”, to the list of things AXA covers, across every present and retroactive insurance contract – even those not under the names of the victims – this endeavour made emergency relocation far safer and more accessible than it had ever been in the past. Then, the brand doubled down, throwing in free psychological, legal and financial support to help those in need get back on their feet, and truly start again.
Chatting about the winning work, jury president Bertille Toledano, chief executive officer, BETC and Havas Creative Middle East; president, Havas Creative Network, said, “A Grand Prix should always feel personal. And this one resonates deeply with all of us. It is socially, culturally and personally relevant.”
Read more about it here.
Creative Strategy Lions
Heineken – The Pub That Refused to Die
As costs continue to rise, owning a pub is getting tougher and tougher. But, in Ireland, this issue is especially real. Over the last 20 years, the country has lost 25% of its pubs, with rural areas hit the hardest (nine out of 10 closed pubs are located here).
So, when a group of 26 locals got together, raised €300,000, and bought their town’s last pub, they kickstarted something a whole lot bigger. Seeing the possibility of this model, and given that none of them had formal bar experience, Heineken, alongside LePub and Publicis Dublin, got involved to train them up… to great success. An investment which subsequently put the group in a position to advise others, this initiative emboldened a larger movement with the brand at the centre, and which has since enabled a 99% community-owned pub survival rate across the country.
Reflecting on this selection, jury president Sarah Lemarié, chief strategy officer, Publicis France, stated, “In Ireland, Guinness country, the beating heart of small communities is the pub. ‘The Pub that Refused to Die’ is a social solution to a social problem that builds on Heineken’s expertise to arm communities to take over pubs collectively. It’s a brilliant cultural engagement strategy that captured the national attention, and enabled Heineken to find its way into Irish people’s hearts and pints.”
Read more about it here.
Innovation Lions
adidas – Supernova Adaptive
Shoe brands have poured billions of dollars into perfecting footwear for athletics. However, designing with disability in mind is something that hasn’t occurred all that often, historically speaking.
Take the Down syndrome community, for example. What many don’t realise is that this demographic suffers from genetic foot anomalies, which makes engagement in sport very difficult. It was a lesson that TBWA\Canada and adidas learned when they turned Chris Nikic into a sponsored athlete with ‘Runner 321’ (which also won the Direct Grand Prix at Cannes in 2023), and was something the two continued to build upon in the years that followed.
Specifically, by inviting people with Down syndrome to the adidas factory in Germany, the groups worked together to create the Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive, a shoe tailored to the needs of this community, with the purpose of making both sport and everyday wear far more comfortable. A process which took over three years, this would be rolled out across 29 countries, not only making a world of difference, but leading to 42% of people purchasing the shoe to be first-time buyers of adidas products.
Speaking about the product, jury president Kazuhiro Shimura, executive creative director, Dentsu Inc., said, "What was impressive was adidas did not just create the product for athletes with Down syndrome, it created it with them. Through long-term co-creation, it developed a high-performance line of shoes designed for real life. It was launched globally through the same channels, at the same price, and with the same design standard as any other adidas shoe. This work opened up the opportunity to run for people with Down syndrome. Creativity can change behaviour, creativity can expand opportunity, and creativity can help move society forward."
Read more about it here.
Luxury Lions
Moncler – Warmer Together
What some might not know about Italian fashion brand Moncler is that its founding mission was to protect climbers and mountain workers from extreme cold. A large reason why the company has always emphasised warmth in its marketing, this manifested itself last year through its biggest-ever campaign, created with Wesayhi.
Starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, the work – iconic portraits and a series of intimate films – was designed to share love and warmth with the world, by presenting a cinematic expression of human friendship and connection. Further supported by Moncler ambassador Tobe Nwigwe, who, together with his wife, recorded a new rendition of Bill Withers’ classic, ‘Lean on Me’ (later performed at the Rockefeller Center), and this campaign led to 85.4 million net sales – a 48% increase over the previous year.
Discussing this choice, jury president Pum Lefebure, co-founder and chief creative officer, Design Army USA, shared, "This campaign won because of its simplicity. The messaging hits people to the heart. It stripped down luxury storytelling to the simple truth, and it's all about human connection. We love the message: warmth is never about the outside; it's always about what's happening on the inside. The photography is exquisite. They did not pick a fashion photographer because it's about capturing the real, raw, authentic moment of the two friends.”
Read more about it here.
