The 2023 edition of Cannes Lions has only just begun, and quite a few Canadian agencies are already getting an idea of what their award chances are looking like this week.

Cannes Lions slightly tweaked its approach to releasing its shortlists this year, with the bulk of nominees – covering 17 award categories – announced the day before the festival began. Between Sunday and Monday’s shortlists, as well as those released earlier this month, there are currently 182 chances for Canadian agencies to win a Lion.

While there is a lot of work represented by that big of a number, a few campaigns and agencies are already emerging as potential awards favourites. BBDO’s “Missing Matoaka” for Muskrat Magazine is currently the single campaign with the most nominations at 19. Rethink, meanwhile, has 60 nominations for clients including Kraft Heinz, Decathlon, IKEA, Tree Canada, RGD and Penguin Random House.

Klick’s “The Bridge” for Paws NYC, Ogilvy’s “The Cost of Beauty” for Dove and FCB’s “Runner 321” for Adidas are also among those getting a fair bit of attention from juries so far.

This afternoon, Cannes Lions will hold its first gala of 2023, with winners announced in the Pharma, Health & Wellness, Print & Publishing, Outdoor and Radio & Audio Lions.

Lions Nominations & Wins (By Category)

Brand Experience & Activation: 9
Creative B2B: 0
Creative Data: 4
Design: 7
Digital Craft: 6
Direct: 19
Entertainment: 10
Entertainment for Sport: 0
Entertainment for Music: 0
Entertainment for Gaming: 1
Film Craft: 15
Glass: 1
Health & Wellness: 13
Industry Craft: 8
Innovation: 1
Media: 7
Outdoor: 17
PR: 18
Pharma: 2
Print & Publishing: 10
Radio & Audio: 12
Social & Influencer: 22
Titanium: 0