With their fingers crossed, an 80-stong delegation from Ireland will be flying into Cannes this weekend for the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Now in its 73rd year Cannes will be held from Monday, 22 June to Friday, 26 June 2026, with winners of the Cannes Lions to be announced during the week, culminating at the Lumière Theatre on Friday, where the Titanium Lions and Grand Prix Awards will be handed out.
The Irish advertising industry will be hoping it can match previous years in terms of awards. Last year, Irish agencies returned with a total of nine awards, led by Publicis Dublin which landed three Silver and two Bronze Lions for Heineken’s ‘Pub Succession’
Although slightly down on previous years, the Irish delegation includes a number of leading brands like Diageo, Heineken, Smurfit Westrock, Failte Ireland, Amgen, Allianz, and LifeStyle Sports.
The delegation also includes entrants to the Canne Young Lions, with seven teams set to come up against some of the best young talent in the world.
This year, the winning teams for Ireland that will battle it out for the top awards include the following:
Design: Lara Fagherazzi and Jamie Craig (Core)
Digital: Emily Wilson and Rhea Chhaya (0mnicom Media)
Film: Ciara Murphy and Niamh Aremband (Droga5)
PR: Ciara Farrell and Eve McSweeney (Harris PR)
Print: Hannah Murphy and Kate Dempsey (TBWA\Ireland)
Media: Dillon Dsouza and Lana O’Kiersey (Core)
Young Marketers: Darragh Spain and Fardosa Young Flanagan (123.ie)
Elsewhere, Irish interest will also be focused on Le Club MSQ at Fervor, on Tuesday afternoon where THINKHOUSE founder Jane McDaid will take part in a round-table discussion on “Earned Media, Dead of Alive,” which will be hosted by thenetworkone.
Other speakers include Tom Wenborn, CCO Thinkerbell, Australia; Kerri Young, Business Director, Smarts MSQ Group, Belfast (NI); Jari Lähdevuori, Exec CD & Partner, SAMY Nordics, Finland; Barby K. Siegel, Global CEO, Zeno Group, USA. The discussion will be moderated by Niat Asfaw Graça, Director, Serviceplan Group.
“It’s a timely conversation as we witness, first-hand, the increased importance in engineering fame in a way that earns attention, drives relevance and powers brand growth,” said McDaid. “Understanding not just how to shape culture, but the algorithms’ role within culture, is the modern brand’s challenge. This is a subject I understand deeply and look forward to discussing with some international agency leaders I’ve admired for many years.”
Meanwhile, Ireland has just one juror at this year’s festival- Peter Dobbyn, creative director with Publicis Dublin who will be part of the awarding jury for the Outdoor Lions at this year’s event in the south of France. No stranger to Cannes, Dobbyn was a key part of the Publicis Dublin team team that bagged a haul of awards in 2025 and 2024.
Bonne chance Irlande!
