Iapi has announced the 14 young professionals who will represent Ireland at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity after winning this year’s Irish Young Lions competition.
The winners emerged following a rigorous judging process across seven categories: design, digital, film, media, PR, print and young marketers.
Participants were tasked with responding to briefs for Media Literacy Ireland, with teams required to produce campaigns within a 48-hour timeframe.
The competition is designed to give emerging talent in the creative communications industry an opportunity to test themselves in a high-pressure environment and showcase their work on an international stage.
The winning teams for 2026 are Lara Fagherazzi and Jamie Craig of Core in Design; Emily Wilson and Rhea Chhaya of Omnicom Media in Digital; Ciara Murphy and Niamh Aremband of Droga5 Dublin in Film; Ciara Farrell and Eve McSweeney of Harris PR in PR; Hannah Murphy and Kate Dempsey of TBWA\Ireland in Print; Dillon Dsouza and Lana O’Kiersey of Core in Media; and Darragh Spain and Fardosa Flanagan of 123.ie in Young Marketers.
Siobhan Masterson, CEO of Iapi, said the organisation remained committed to supporting the next generation of talent through the Cannes Young Lions programme.
She said Ireland’s brightest early-career professionals gain valuable global experience and exposure through the competition.
The Young Lions competition is supported by Smurfit Westrock.
More information on the winners and their entries is available on the Iapi website.
