SA Film Team sponsored by Ster-Kinekor wins Silver at Cannes Lions

SA Film Team sponsored by Ster-Kinekor wins Silver at Cannes Lions
The Competitions celebrate their 30th anniversary – marking 30 years of legacy, inspiration and community.

By CityLife Arts Writer

Following seven competitions over four days, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its 2025 Young Lions winners. This year saw Turkey take home its first-ever Gold in Marketers and Guatemala win for the first time with a Gold in Film.

Taking the Silver award in the Film category was one of the two teams representing South Africa this year – Paula Andropoulus, Writer, and Khomotso Makoto, Art Director, from TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris JHB. The brief challenged the teams to create an engaging 60-second film ad in just 48 hours. This year, Ovarian Cancer Action asked competitors to craft a powerful, uplifting film for World Ovarian Cancer Day (8 May 2026). Their submission, Two Centuries Too Long, earned them the Silver.

“As the South African representative for the Cannes Lions, and the local sponsor of the Cannes Young Lions competition – Film Category, we are delighted that Paula and Khomotso made it onto the podium this year. Creating a 60-second ad from brief to finished product in just 48 hours is extremely challenging, and we want to take this opportunity to congratulate them on this outstanding achievement and for flying the South African flag high at Cannes this year,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer of Ster-Kinekor.

The Young Lions competitions, which are sponsored by Adobe, are at the heart of the Cannes Lions School. They embody a true celebration of creativity across the world where more than 400 young professionals have the opportunity to showcase their talent and achievements on the global stage. All of the entries have been judged by members of the Cannes Lions Juries during the Festival.
The Young Lions 2025 Media Partner, The News Movement, returned for its second year to bring the competitions to life through behind-the-scenes video content and interviews designed to capture the spirit of creativity and innovation of emerging talent at the Festival.

Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “For the last 30 years, the Young Lions Competitions have pushed emerging talent to think boldly and deliver ideas that truly resonate. This year was no different. With nearly 460 competitors from 67 markets, including the return of teams from Venezuela, Uruguay and Ukraine, the 2025 Competitions were a powerful reminder of the global creative spirit. It’s inspiring to see countries return and new countries win. This year saw first-time Gold wins from Turkey in Marketers and Guatemala in Film. Congratulations to all of our 2025 winners, and to every team that rose to the challenge. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the Festival next.”

Lotte Jones, Chief Commercial Officer, The News Movement said: “Spotlighting the brilliant agency leaders of tomorrow becomes more essential each year, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the 2025 Young Lions winners. This year’s competition once again raised the bar, with teams delivering bold, imaginative, and forward-thinking responses to the briefs.

“As a media partner of the competition, we’re proud to champion the next generation of creative talent – amplifying their voices, showcasing their ideas, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. Through our video content, we’ve been able to offer an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the competition and the incredible individuals driving the future of our industry.”

Young Lions Competition winners are as follows:

Design: The Young Lions Design competition focuses on creating effective, refined and attractive brand identity. This year’s brief was set by Museum of Art and Photography India (MAP). MAP challenged Young Lions to create a visual identity that disrupts the perception that comics are a Western, child-centric medium for their upcoming exhibition.

Gold
IN Frame
Jesse Shaw, Senior Motion Designer, Rethink, Canada
Zoë Boudreau, Associate Creative Director, Rethink, Canada

Silver
Expression Timeline
Daniel Grigorian, Motion Designer, Holy Motors, Georgia
Nino Kavelashvili, Designer, Holy Motors, Georgia

Bronze
Keep Calm and Frame the Scroll
Mariia Demianiuk, Brand & Motion Designer, Redkroft, Poland Marta Goździewicz, Brand Designer, Redkroft, Poland

Digital, sponsored by EY: The Young Lions Digital competition focuses on building a digital-led campaign that uses both the platform and the technology behind it. Bee:wild asked teams to tap into their Gen Z experience to help make wild bees famous through education and collective action.

Gold
THE WILDEST PROFILE
Subin Oh, Art Director, Cheil Worldwide, South Korea
Sunmi Park, Copywriter, Cheil Worldwide, South Korea

Silver
Running Wild
Jakob August Andresen, Creative / Copywriter, Anorak NoA, Norway
Svein Werner Lyngmyr, Creative / Designer, Anorak NoA, Norway

Bronze
AirBnBee
Amy Morrison, Copywriter, M+C Saatchi, Australia
Laura Murphy, Art Director, M+C Saatchi, Australia

Film: The Young Lions Film competition challenges teams to create an engaging 60-second film ad in 48 hours. This year, Ovarian Cancer Action asked competitors to craft a powerful, uplifting film for World Ovarian Cancer Day (8 May 2026).

Gold
Victoria has a Secret
Ana Paula Escobar Farrington, Creative Director, El Taier DDB, Guatemala
Diego Leonel ApenDíaz, Art Director, El Taier DDB, Guatemala

Silver
Two Centuries Too Long
Paula Andropoulus, Writer, TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris JHB, South Africa
Khomotso Makoto, Art Director, TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris JHB, South Africa

Bronze
From Underseen To Understood
Beatriz Roque, Creative Art Director, BBDO Portugal
João Bronze, Creative Copywriter, BBDO Portugal

Media: The Young Lions Media competition focuses on how young professionals use strategic thinking and innovative approaches to engage audiences and encourage positive change. This year’s brief was delivered by Ovarian Cancer Action, which asked competitors to develop a globally scalable media idea that brings Ovarian Cancer to the mainstream.

Gold
Hidden in plain sight
Angelika Marcinkeviciute, Programmatic Specialist, GROUPM NORWAY AS, Norway
MajaSkaug Wirum, Programmatic Specialist, GROUPM NORWAY AS, Norway

Silver
Below the Belt
Dana Nathanson, Associate Director, Strategy, Initiative, United States
Morgan McAlister, Director, Strategy, Initiative, United States

Bronze
To Be Cracked
Samuel David-Durocher, Business Intelligence Analyst, Cossette Media, Canada
Tristan Bonnot-Parent, Product Development Supervisor, Cossette Media, Canada

Marketers: Focusing on the foundation of creative work that engages its audience, the Young Lions Marketers competition centres on harnessing the power of their brand to support a recognisedorganisation. The Braille Institute asked teams to reposition their organisation, encouraging people with low vision to seek help from them.

Gold
Lines of Resistance
SedefSelcanOzcan, Senior Assistant Brand Manager, Kenvue, Turkey
SeldaOzturk, Senior Brand Manager, Kenvue, Turkey

Silver
Signal For Sight
Jenny Kim, Associate Product Marketing Manager, Google, Australia
Keira Spencer, Brand Marketing Manager, Google, Australia

Bronze
The better you see it, the more you taste it.
Bruna Roca García, Brand Manager, Kraft Heinz, Spain
Nahomi Vargas, Brand Manager, Kraft Heinz, Spain

PR: The Young Lions PR competition asks its entrants to create an innovative PR strategy. The PR brief was supplied by Bee:wild. Teams were tasked with developing a strategy that encourages city mayors to turn cities into pollinator hubs through the reframing of rewilding and leveraging of competition.

Gold
The Silent B
Raneem Saleh, Account Director, Burson, MENA
Youssef Yammine, Associate Creative Director, MENA

Silver
CONSTRUCTION WORKER BEES
Louis Govindin, Art Director, Weber Shandwick Paris, France
Remi Vincent, Art Director, Weber Shandwick Paris, France

Bronze
Build the Buzz
Adam RektorPolánek, PR Consultant, Hero and Outlaw, Czech Republic
JakubWija, PR Consultant, Hero and Outlaw, Czech Republic

Print: The Young Lions Print competition challenges young creatives to produce a stand-out, captivating and unique print ad. This year’s brief was provided by Bee:wild and challenged competitors to promote collective purpose and action in efforts to rewild spaces and encourage the return of all bees to ecosystems.

Gold
The world needs more time
Carlos Arturo Orjuela Torres, Creative Director, Sancho BBDO, Colombia
Nicolás Castro Barrios, Creative Senior Copywriter, Sancho BBDO, Colombia

Silver
You Should Be Scared Too
Ana Sofía Valdez Blanco, Art Director, GUT MEXICO
Fátima Alejandra Quiroz Alderete, Art Director, GUT MEXICO

Bronze
Forbees
Kiki Knoops, Junior Creative, DDB Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Yascha Puts, Junior Creative, DDB Amsterdam, the Netherlands

All winners’ work is available to view on The Work