Cannes Lions sees global surge in creativity - but no mention of India in growth narrative
With entries spanning 96 markets, the absence of India in the festival’s growth story is telling.
ADVERTISEMENT
As the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity celebrates a robust 26,900 entries for its 2025 awards, one notable absence stands out: India, long a major player in global advertising, was missing from the festival’s official roundup of market highlights and growth trends.
Instead, the focus was on the rise of independent agencies, strategic and social impact-driven work, and significant regional momentum from Latin America, which saw a 16 percent increase in entries. Independent agencies submitted 18 percent more work than last year, reflecting a broader decentralization of creative power once held by large global networks.
The global benchmark provides a unique insight into creativity’s power as a catalyst for meaningful transformation, said Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS. The Lions is seeing world-class creativity emerge from all corners of the world.
But not enough, it seems, from India — at least not in terms of headline recognition. This omission is surprising given the country's historically strong presence at the festival and its dynamic advertising landscape.
Other categories showcased notable growth: the Strategy Track — encompassing Creative Strategy and Creative Effectiveness — saw its fifth consecutive year of gains, up 10 percent. Glass: The Lion for Change, marking its 10th anniversary, posted a 53 percent spike in submissions, signaling deeper engagement with systemic and intersectional issues.
Design Lions, which were updated to emphasize strategic and behavioral design, grew 17 percent. Creative B2B entries climbed by 13 percent, while the Entertainment Lions for Sport rose 15 percent, highlighting the growing role of creativity in performance-led sectors.
The newly expanded Social & Creator Lions attracted strong engagement, with 18 percent of entries submitted into fresh sub-categories focused on influencer and creator-led campaigns.
Marian Brannelly, Global Director of Awards, LIONS, said: “The submissions this year reveal a shift in how creativity is being harnessed for meaningful change for both business and society. We’re seeing record growth in categories that demand measurable impact, whether that’s through design thinking that transforms user experiences or strategic approaches that deliver tangible business outcomes. Overall, the data shows an industry that continues to evolve and embrace new opportunities to drive impact, with strong engagement with creator-focused submissions and the growth of independent agency participation, representing an industry embracing new models of impact, innovation and transformation.”
Still, with entries spanning 96 markets, the absence of India in the festival’s growth story is telling. In fact, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has received 982 entries from India for its 2025 edition, marking a steady rise from 826 submissions in 2024. In comparison, India sent 806 entries in 2023, 921 in 2022, 699 during the combined 2020/21 cycle, and 1,053 in 2019.
India has secured 65 shortlists across 20 categories at the 2025 Festival of Creativity, highlighting a strong presence at the global advertising event. However, Indian agencies failed to register any shortlisted entries in several prominent categories, including Innovation, Glass: The Lion for Change, Audio & Radio, Digital Craft, and Entertainment Lions.
Despite those gaps, Indian industry leaders remain visible across the festival’s jury panels. McCann Worldgroup’s Prasoon Joshi, Ogilvy’s Harshad Rajadhyaksha, and other senior figures from Hindustan Unilever, GroupM, FCB, and TBWA\India represent India across multiple juries. BBDO India’s Josy Paul serves as Jury President for the Sustainable Development Goals Lions.
The festival will also honor Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, an India-born executive, as the recipient of its Creative Champion of the Year award, recognizing cross-industry leadership in advancing creativity.
Indian executives are slated to participate in several festival sessions, with attendees including creative stalwarts as well as top marketers Shubhranshu Singh, CMO of Tata Motors CVBU and Sumit Virmani, global CMO of Infosys.
