Juries Announced for Canadian Young Lions 2026 Competition

The Globe and Mail has announced the esteemed jury members who will evaluate submissions for the 2026 Canadian Young Lions Competition. Registrations remain open until February 8th, 2026 giving Canada’s young creative minds the chance to represent the country on the world stage at the Global Young Lions Competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France.

The Canadian Young Lions Competition has long been a cornerstone of the creative industry, providing the opportunity for young professionals to showcase their ingenuity in one of seven competitive categories: Print, Film, Digital, Media, Marketers, PR, and Design.

Film & Print Jury

• ​Luc du Sault, partner and CCO, LG2 (co-chair)
  
• Mary Maddever, senior EVP realscreen and strategy, chief content officer, Brunico Communications (co-chair)
  
• ​Sean Barlow, chief creative officer, Cundari
  
• ​Dhaval Bhatt, founder and CCO, Courage
  
• ​Xavier Blais, partner and ECD, Rethink
  
• ​Alexis Bronstorph, co-chief creative officer, No Fixed Address
  
• ​Denise Cole, professor at George Brown Polytechnic and Creative Director, Freelance
  
• ​Manuel Ferrarini, vice president, creative director, Tam-Tam\TBWA
  
• ​Jenny Glover, chief creative officer, Zulu Alpha Kilo
  
• ​Terri Roberts, creative director, Ray
  
• ​Sann Sava, chief creative officer and founder, Nosolo
  
• ​Angus Tucker, chief creative officer, Leo Toronto
  
• ​Christina Yu, partner and CCO, Lifelong Crush
  

Co-chairing the Film and Print jury, Luc du Sault, partner and chief creative officer, LG2 says “In film and print, the most powerful work often comes from restraint. Strip it back until only the idea remains – then let that do the work.”

“The jury is stacked with Canada’s top creative leaders who all enthusiastically said “yes” to taking part in this iconic program and supporting next gen talent. Tip (gleaned from chairing multiple juries): insights that speak to the brief also sway the jury.” says Mary Maddever, senior EVP realscreen and strategy, chief content officer, Brunico Communications, co-chairing the Film and Print jury alongside Luc du Sault.

Digital Jury

• Karen Howe, founder, The Township Group (Co-Chair)
  
• ​Sabaa Quao, president, PlusCo Venture Studio (Co-Chair)
  
• ​Joseph Bonnici, chief creative officer/owner/board member, Tadiem
  
• ​Noella Choi, creative director, TBWA
  
• ​Andrea Cook, CEO, Jam CRM
  
• ​Erin Kawalecki, co-founder and chief creative officer, Angry Butterfly
  
• ​Jean-Claude M. Kikongi, consultant, strategy, creativity and comm-marketing
  
• ​Alistair Leyland, co-founder and managing partner at Array of Stars (AOS), CEO at NVRSE
  
• ​Stuart Macmillan, executive creative director, No Fixed Address (NFA)
  
• ​Lyranda Martin-Evans, chief creative director, Fellow Human Creative
  
• Grace Mitchell, executive creative director, VaynerMedia Canada
  
• ​Andy Ng, creative director
  

Co-chairs of the Digital Jury, Karen Howe, founder, The Township Group and Sabaa Quao, President, PlusCo Venture Studio say, “Our esteemed jury will look for ideas that are utterly digital to their core. Insightful, brave, powerful, and fresh ideas will win the day and catapult the team to carry the torch of Canada’s winning legacy to the world stage. Enter. Make your mark. Strip away the past. This is a chance to define the future digital landscape.”

Media Jury

• ​Brooke Leland, president, Mekanism Media (Co-Chair)
  
• ​Shannon Lewis, president, CMDC (Co-Chair)
  
• Urania Agas, chief operating officer, Canada, WPP Media
  
• ​Bob Cornwall, country manager, Canada, Snap Inc.
  
• ​Marc-Antoine Grenier, senior vice president and general manager, Cossette
  
• ​Richard Ivey, EVP, business solutions, Horizon
  
• ​Tracey Johnson, president, iProspect.com
  
• ​Devon MacDonald, president, Cairns Oneil
  
• ​Matt McGowan, SVP, business solutions, Bell Media
  
• ​Sammy Rifai, chief strategy officer, Initiative
  
• ​Mike Rumble, founder, chief strategy officer, Epitaph Group Inc.
  
• ​Rita Steinberg, vice president, media, FUSE Create
  
• ​Sarah Thompson, executive managing director, Glassroom
  
• Noah Vardon, general manager, Omnicom Media
  
• Karl Wegert, CEO, Media Experts
  

Together, Shannon Lewis, president, CMDC and Brooke Leland, President Mekanism Media are looking forward to the impressive, strategic submissions. They say, "The Cannes Young Lions programme pushes emerging talent to think boldly. As co-chairs, we’re continually inspired by the creativity, ambition, and forward-thinking responses to the Young Lions brief. It brings together passionate media minds and gives them a platform not just to compete, but to champion meaningful causes that extend far beyond the brief. Watching Young Lions transform a brief into powerful ideas is a clear reminder of why this programme matters, it nurtures big thinking, fuels fresh perspectives, encourages collaboration and teamwork, and empowers the next generation.”

Marketers Jury

• ​Susan Irving, chief marketing officer, Kruger Products (Co-Chair)
  
• Eva Salem, SVP, marketing and brand, Canadian Tire Corporation (Co-Chair)
  
• ​Nuno Bamberg, senior vice president, brand and marketing, Sleep Country Canada
  
• ​Laura Curtis Ferrera, SVP and global chief marketing officer, Scotiabank
  
• Laura Cutsey, vice president of marketing and partnerships, Coca-Cola Company
  
• Deyra Jaye Fontaine, inclusive marketing strategist
  
• ​Catherine Laporte, chief marketing and digital officer, RONA
  
• Steve Levy, Ipsos Canada
  
• ​Aaron Nemoy, founder and CEO, Crowdiate
  
• ​Andy Shibata, vice president, brand, Air Canada
  

Susan Irving, chief marketing officer, Kruger Products and Eva Salem, SVP, marketing and brand, Canadian Tire Corporation are looking forward to celebrating the best in Canada with the rest of the Marketers Jury. “We’re excited to have the full jury in place, putting Canada’s next generation of creative talent in front of an exceptional panel of leaders whose breadth of experience will challenge and champion the best ideas. Their expertise and perspective are invaluable in selecting the top teams in the country, including the winners we’ll send to represent Canada on the global stage in Cannes. This is our chance to celebrate the brightest young minds in the industry and show the world what Canadian creativity can do.”

PR Jury

• ​Anthony Chelvanathan, global creative partner, CCO, Edelman Canada (co-chair)
  
• ​Krista Webster, CEO, Veritas Communications and Meat & Produce (co-chair)
  
• ​Lisa Allie, senior marketing director, PepsiCo
  
• Veronica Bart, head of brand communications, Labatt Breweries of Canada
  
• ​Nadia Beale, president, MSL Group Canada
  
• ​Josh Budd, chief creative officer, NA, Citizen Relations
  
• ​Julie Georgias, president and head of creative strategy, Zeno Group Canada
  
• Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski, senior consultant, Touchwood PR and Founder, rock-it promotions
  
• ​Laura Silver, founder and chief executive officer, Blue Door Agency
  
• Sheryl So, senior director, head of communications, Wealthsimple
  
• Renee Weekes Duncan, senior vice president, Golin Canada
• Sheila Wisniewski, CEO, Burson Canada

Krista Webster, CEO, Veritas Communications and Meat & Produce alongside Anthony Chelvanathan, global creative partner, CCO Edelman Canada say, “We are deeply honoured to serve as Co-Chairs of PR Young Lions because we believe – unequivocally – in Canada’s creative PR talent. This country is producing a new generation of fearless, multidisciplinary thinkers who are not just ready to take the global stage, but to lead it. Our own journeys as PR Creative Directors shaped everything that followed in our careers – teaching us that bold ideas, cultural insight and earned creativity can build not just campaigns, but lasting impact. Supporting the next wave of talent isn’t just meaningful to us – it’s personal.”

Design Jury

• ​Mooren Bofill, partner and CCO, ONE23WEST (Co-Chair)
  
• ​Dave Watson, head of design, Broken Heart Love Affair (Co-Chair)
  
• ​Alex Bakker, partner, group creative director of design, Rethink
  
• ​Marie-Élaine Benoit, lead creative director, Sid Lee
  
• Sarah Di Domenico, co-founder and chief creative officer, Wedge
  
• Vanessa Eckstein, founder/creative director, Blok Design
  
• ​Kelsey Horne, chief creative officer and head of design, No Fixed Address
  
• ​Mustaali Raj, creative director, designer and visual artist
  
• Daniel Robitaille, creative director, Paprika
  
• ​Teresa Tam, independent creative director
  
• Brittany Waldner, associate creative director, Underline Studio
  
• ​Man Wai Wong, independent creative director
  

Canada’s design teams continue to build global momentum. Mooren Bofill, partner and CCO, ONE23WEST says "Canada’s young designers are fearless, globally fluent, and already competing at the highest level. Last year, Jesse Shaw & Zoe Boudreau won the first Design gold for Canada at Cannes Young Lions Finals competition. Young designers like them are redefining what design can do and showing the world that Canada is a creative force.”

“There’s nothing that gets me more pumped and inspired than seeing the passion and talent of the next generation of designers in this country. I can’t wait to see what they will come up with this year and show our country (and then the world) that design in Canada is very much alive!" says Dave Watson, Head of Design, Broken Heart Love Affair.

Competition Details

• Registrations close February 8th, 2026 11:59pm EST
  
• Teams receive their briefs February 28, 2026 9:00am EST
  
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners announced April 24, 2026 at The Globe and Mail Centre
  
• Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity runs from June 22nd to 26th, 2026
  

As the Canadian Festival Representative, The Globe and Mail covers registration fees, delegate passes, flights, and accommodation for competitors traveling to Cannes, France.

For full competition guidelines and to register, visit here.  

For more details on the jury, please visit here.