The first shortlists for Cannes Lions 2026 are out, offering an early look at the work that has made the strongest impression on juries this year.
The first wave includes three categories: Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, Glass: The Lion for Change and Innovation Lions. While each category recognizes a different form of creative excellence, from industry-shifting ideas to social impact and technological innovation, the early shortlists suggest that this year’s juries are responding to work that refuses to stay neatly inside one discipline.
Among the strongest early performers is Peruvian agency Circus Grey, whose project SOS POS for BCP appears across multiple shortlists. The work is shortlisted for Titanium Lions, as well as two Innovation Lions subcategories: Brand-Led Innovation and Societal Innovation. That makes it one of the most visible projects in the first round of announcements.
McCann also had a strong first showing. McCann Spain appears in both Glass subcategories with Chapters of Hope for La Fabrica, while McCann London earned a Titanium Lions shortlist for The Missing Managers for Xbox. McCann Wellington also landed on the Glass shortlist with Dying Reviews for Hospice NZ.
LePub is another network with early momentum. The agency is shortlisted in Titanium Lions with Tocayos for Heineken and Welcome Back, Paisano for Tecate, with the latter also appearing in Glass: The Lion for Change.
The TBWA network also appears across multiple categories. TBWA\Media Arts Lab is shortlisted in both Glass subcategories with No Frame Missed for Apple, while TBWA\Canada is shortlisted in both Glass and Innovation with Supernova Adaptive for Adidas.
Several projects crossed category lines, including Vehicle of Hope for Caritas from Differ and Colony, The Faroe Islands Space Program for SKF from Nord DDB and Recipe for Change for Puck from FP7 McCann Dubai. Their presence across multiple areas suggests that Cannes juries are rewarding ideas that combine social relevance, innovation and measurable impact.
The next shortlist announcements are expected between June 20 and June 24.
Dan Wieden Titanium Lions
The Titanium Lions recognize work that pushes the boundaries of the creative industry and introduces new ways of thinking beyond established disciplines and formats. This year, 18 works were shortlisted from 137 entries.
Haven — Suncorp Insurance / Leo Sydney
The Legacy of Virginia Giuffre — Virginia Giuffre / Dini Von Mueffling Communications
Birds Never Forget to Fly — PSP / Playmakers
The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix — The Philipstown Wirecar Foundation / Accenture Song SA
SOS POS — BCP / Circus Grey
IKEA Preowned — IKEA / McCann Spain
The Missing Managers — Xbox / McCann London
Duobell — Škoda / AMV BBDO
Welcome Back, Paisano — Tecate / LePub Mexico City
The Undropped Kit — ASICS / GUT Toronto and Ketchum London
Oreo Cows — Oreo / VML New York and VML Mexico City
Vehicle of Hope — Caritas / Differ and Colony
The Faroe Islands Space Program — SKF / Nord DDB
Vaseline Originals — Vaseline / Ogilvy Singapore
Tocayos — Heineken / LePub Milan
Expedition Impossible — Columbia Sportswear / adam&eveDDB
Reverse Media Schedule — Sea Cleaners & JCDecaux / Dentsu Creative Aotearoa
600K Network — Comando Con Venezuela / Rainbow Lobster Mexico City and Comando Con Venezuela
Glass: The Lion for Change
Glass celebrates creative work that helps reduce prejudice, empower marginalized communities and create measurable social change. During judging, impact and achieved results account for a significant portion of the score.
Product/Service
Recipe for Change — Puck / FP7 McCann Dubai
Nigrum Corpus — IDOMED & Instituto Yduqs / Artplan
Chapters of Hope — La Fabrica / McCann Spain
Supernova Adaptive — Adidas / TBWA\Canada
No Frame Missed — Apple / TBWA\Media Arts Lab
Initiatives
Birds Never Forget to Fly — PSP / Playmakers
Move #FixThePhilippines — Move As One Coalition / TBWA\SMP
Recipe for Change — Puck / FP7 McCann Dubai
Code for the Protection and Inclusion of Black Consumers — L’Oréal Luxe / Beta Collective
50 / 50 — Orange / Publicis Conseil
Dying Reviews — Hospice NZ / McCann Wellington
Welcome Back, Paisano — Tecate / LePub Mexico City
Vehicle of Hope — Caritas / Differ and Colony
The Māori Roll Call — Whānau Ora / Motion Sickness
Chapters of Hope — La Fabrica / McCann Spain
The Unburied Casket — Women for Change / Edelman SA
No Frame Missed — Apple / TBWA\Media Arts Lab
Innovation Lions
The Innovation Lions recognize technological breakthroughs, innovative products and creative solutions that combine imagination, functionality and tangible impact.
Early-Stage Technology
Hope on a Chip — UTEC / UTEC Lima
The Unbreakable Twin — Deloitte / BBDO New York
SPARC — Commonwealth Fusion Systems / Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Radio Time Machine — Nichiigakkan Co., Ltd. / TBWA\Hakuhodo
Brand-Led Innovation
SOS POS — BCP / Circus Grey
Magnif-Eye — 1001 Optometry / VML Sydney
Product Innovation
Hero Gum — Gift of Life / LOLA USA and adam&eveDDB
LEGO Smart Play — The LEGO Group / LEGO System
Environmental Innovation
T-Rex Leather — Lab-Grown Leather / VML Paris
Dark Mode Ads — Plenitude / LePub Milan
The Faroe Islands Space Program — SKF / Nord DDB
Utrecht Energized — Renault / Publicis Amsterdam
Societal Innovation
Hero Gum — Gift of Life / LOLA USA and adam&eveDDB
SOS POS — BCP / Circus Grey
Supernova Adaptive — Adidas / TBWA\Canada
Waves of Will Powered by NTT — NTT Human Informatics Laboratories / Dentsu Inc.
Technology
LEGO Smart Play — The LEGO Group / LEGO System
Magnif-Eye — 1001 Optometry / VML Sydney
If the first wave of Cannes Lions 2026 shortlists is any indication, this year’s juries are favoring work that does more than fit a category. The most visible ideas so far are those that merge innovation with social relevance, technology with human impact and creative ambition with measurable results.
Technology alone is not enough. Purpose without proof is not enough. The work breaking through early appears to be the work that can do several things at once.
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