April 24, 2012 – News Limited, official Australian representative of the Cannes Lions 2012 International Festival of Creativity, today announced a record number of entries to the Australian 2012 Young Lions competition.
Entries to the 2012 competition were up by 18% across all categories, a record number in the history of the competition. These figures represent an 85% increase since the competition first ran in 2009.
Entries in the media category were up 30% on last year, with OMD having the highest number of submissions, Group M recorded the most entries from any agency group.
The Australian 2012 Young Lions competition identifies the hottest young talent to represent Australia at the International Festival of Creativity in Cannes in June.
This year’s competition is the biggest yet, with the introduction of two brand new categories, Film sponsored by Foxtel and Young Marketer sponsored by CBA and Telstra in association with the AANA (Australian Association of National Advertisers).
News Limited’s director of sales Tony Kendall said that Australian media and creative is amongst the best in the world, and nurturing exceptional young talent is crucial to continuing that legacy.
“It’s fantastic to be able to report that entries are up across the board, and I’m particularly proud that even in their inaugural year entries to the two new categories have been very healthy.
“Young Lions has become an important part of the calendar for the agency community, and I’m delighted that the competition is going from strength to strength.”
“As Young Lions grows the standard of competition seems to get higher and higher, offering great exposure and career advancement opportunities to our brightest young creatives.”
National CEO of Ikon Communications Dan Johns added that Young Lions is now a permanent fixture on the Ikon training and development program.
“The competition encourages people from all parts of our business to discover new skills and techniques outside their everyday roles.
“We support our entrants through a mentoring system from our more seasoned experts enhancing our culture of open collaboration and learning.
“This in turn develops new internal relationships which we have found to be extremely valuable to our business.”
First round entry for the Australian Young Lions 2012 competition closed on 11 April 2012, with finalists to be announced on May 4. Winners will be revealed at a cocktail reception in Sydney on 17 May 2012.
Further competition details can be viewed online at the Oz Cannes website www.ozcannes.com.au.
The 59th International Festival of Creativity will be held 17-23 June 2012 in Cannes, France.
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For further information:
Toby Hemming
Head of Corporate Affairs
News Digital Media
T: +61 814 7230 | M: +61 406 156 047
E: hemmingt@newsltd.com.au
More about Young Lions:
Winning teams will receive return flights to Nice, accommodation and registration to The International Festival of Creativity in Cannes and access to all the seminars, awards ceremonies, creative showcases and the Young Lions party.
Registration also entitles participation in the Young Lions Zone, which includes ten master classes and interactive kiosks showcasing winning work from the worldwide Young Lions competitions.
The first round is open for 6 weeks, and
challenges entrants to develop a media response, creative brief or solution; these will be judged by panels of industry leaders in each state to determine first round finalists. Importantly entrants in the first round Cyber and Film categories are only required to storyboard their idea rather than create a live execution.
The second Round sees shortlisted finalists in all five categories compete in a 24-hour brief (Film category is 48-hour brief), simulating the Cannes Young Lions format. Media and Young Marketer finalists also receive a 1-day ‘High Impact Presenting’ program conducted by Metta Group. This session is designed to develop each presenter’s authentic style.
Australian Young Lions teams of ten winners; (two each from the Media, Print, Cyber, Film and Young Marketer categories) are selected from the 24-hour challenge to represent Australia in Cannes.
They will be announced on 17 May in Sydney.
Key competition dates:
April 19 – May 3
First round judging
May 4
Finalists announced
May 9-10
24 hour Print and Cyber brief & 48 hour Film brief
May 15-17
24 hour Media and Young Marketer brief & presentation training
May 17
Winning teams announced in Sydney
June 17-23
59th International Festival
