A total of 30,953 entries from 27 disciplines among marketers and agencies will be judged this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, with a rise in entries from brands, and from India and China.
Among the new awards, the Creative Strategy Lions received 848 entries from strategists and planners.
The Entertainment Lions for Sport also reported a strong start in the category’s inaugural year, with 702 entries.
Entries in the Entertainment Track, which includes the Entertainment Lions and Entertainment Lions for Music, grew 11%.
Entry numbers from China increased 5%, and India 8%.
Awards entries from brands have also increased.
“The changes we made to the Awards structure in 2018 resulted in a refocus of the Lions," says Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions.
"The industry is concentrating on the absolute quality of their entries, allowing everyone in the marketing and advertising community, and particularly brands, to benchmark their output against the world’s very best.
"In 2019 we’re excited to see the entries into the Lion Awards reflect the absolute highest quality of creative work across the 27 distinctive disciplines."
The Film Lions, now in its 66th year for storytelling intended for the screen, reports a 29% rise in entries.
Creative eCommerce Lions entries were up 12%, Brand Experience & Activation Lions up 8% and Digital Craft Lions up 9%, reflecting the continuing significance of creativity across customer experience and digital outputs for brands.
The winners will be announced each evening throughout the Festival, 17 to 21 June.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.