Cannes Lions?
Imagine the Oscars, but instead of celebrating movies, they’re celebrating the ads, campaigns, and creative ideas that make you laugh, cry, buy things, or occasionally question your life choices.
Cannes Lions is the world’s biggest festival for creative marketing and advertising. Every year, thousands of creatives, marketers, and brand strategists descend on the glamorous French Riviera city of Cannes (yes, the same one with the film festival) to showcase the best work in the industry.
The “Lions” part? That’s the trophy. A golden lion statuette that every creative team on the planet dreams of taking home. Winning one is basically the advertising world’s version of an Oscar, Grammy, and gold medal rolled into one.
So how/why/when Brightfish?
Well… Because it’s in our DNA.
Cannes Lions was born in 1954, in a time where television was still in its infancy and streaming was a half century away. It was created by cinema advertising contractors who wanted to celebrate the best advertising films of their time. Back then, all advertising films were cinema films.
So the world’s most prestigious creativity festival didn’t start on TV, social media, or a Super Bowl screen. It started exactly where Brightfish lives: on the big screen.
And that’s exactly why Brightfish is the Cannes Lions Representative for Belgium.
Click here for interviews with Belgian creatives who’ve stood on the Cannes Lions stage and brought a Lion home. What did they make? What were they thinking? And honestly… how does it feel?
Celebrating Belgian Lions
But Cannes Lions isn’t just for the seasoned pros.
Every year, the festival rolls out a dedicated competition for the next generation of creative talent:
THE YOUNG LIONS COMPETITION.
There are seven competitions in total: Design, Digital, Film, Marketers, Media, PR, and Print. The concept is beautifully simple (and slightly terrifying).
Upon arrival at the festival, teams of two receive a brief from an NGO, charity, or purpose-driven brand. From that moment, the clock starts ticking. They have just 24 hours to go from blank page to a fully worked-out creative campaign, which they then present to a jury of top-level industry creatives.
(Film gets a little extra breathing room at 48 hours, because, well, it’s film.)
The only requirements? You need to be 30 or under. And you need to pass the Brightfish selection first, because the Young Lions stage in Cannes is the final. The big one. The moment where the best young creatives from around the world go head to head.
In short: it’s 24 hours, one brief, and a shot at proving yourself on the world’s biggest creative stage.
Meet Our 2026 Young Lions!
In the week of June 22 2026, these two will represent Belgium at the Young Lions Film Competition, carrying our flag all the way to Cannes. We couldn’t be more proud.
Elisa Sonnet
Junior Creative @ Happiness
Daan Van Gorp
Junior Creative @ Happiness
At this competition, our team will have 48 hours to produce an original 60-second film ad. From scratch, on location in Cannes, based on a brief they’ll only receive upon arrival. That brief? Handed out by an NGO or charity, so the work has to be as meaningful as it is creative. Two people, two days, one film.
You’ve got this, team!
Support Our Young Lions!
You can support our lions and send them off with a roar! And it won’t cost you a thing!
The more love they get, the bigger the roar.
And once we hit certain milestones?
Our Young Lions unlock goodies to take with them to Cannes.
