Edelman’s global CCO Judy John is the lone Canadian among the global experts confirmed to lead the 2025 juries at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.
The festival revealed the majority of this year’s jury presidents Thursday morning, with John being selected to lead the panel for the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, which celebrates “game-changing creativity.”
The Cannes Lions Festival has opened awards submissions for its 72nd edition and the jury presidents will help benchmark the world’s best creative and effective work. Presidents for the Design Lions and Entertainment Lions for Sport will be announced shortly, according to the festival.
Cannes Lions previously announced updates for 2025, including the renaming of the Social & Influencer Lions to the Social & Creator Lions, to acknowledge the growing role of creators in the marketing landscape. New categories added to the Social & Creator Lions focus on creators and the work they’re specifically producing for brands. Aligning with this, Lions Creators – a bespoke learning experience for the creator economy – will return to the Festival for a second year.
Other changes to the Lions include the addition of a sub-category to celebrate long-term brand platforms. The sub-category will sit across multiple Lions and recognise brand platforms that show long-term effectiveness in building brand equity, fostering loyalty and delivering measurable business results through continuous, creative communication efforts.
And finally, a new initiative – Country Pavilions – will launch at the festival this year to drive greater global representation of countries at Cannes Lions. The global village will provide countries with the opportunity to showcase local creativity on the global stage, promote creative economies and serve as a hub for learning sessions, as well as benefit from cross-country networking, according to Cannes Lions. A dedicated content stage will accompany the pavilions at the festival.
Cannes Lions is open for awards submissions until April 10. The 72nd edition of the festival takes place from June 16 – 20 in Cannes, France.
