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For the second year running, the Cannes Lions festival is unveiling Silver and Bronze winners in the afternoon, saving the Gold and Grand Prix announcements for the evening spotlight. Canada came out swinging on day one, with five agencies – Klick Health, FCB, VML, Rethink and Courage – earning early wins in Health & Wellness and Outdoor. Alas, it was a quiet showing elsewhere, with no medals for Canada in Pharma, Audio & Radio, Print & Publishing or the United Nations Grand Prix for Good. Here are Monday’s second- and third-place honourees, with some insights from the jury room.

Health & Wellness (2 Bronze)

BRONZE: “The Trial” by Klick Health for All In Fund

“The Trial” is a four-and-a-half-minute film that confronts the rollback of reproductive rights by drawing a parallel between modern-day politics and historical injustice. The film opens with a young woman, visibly distressed, standing trial for having aborted her pregnancy. The scene unfolds with a series of disturbing statements made by fictional villains. The film then jumps to real-life documentation of judges, senators, and U.S. government officials making those exact same antiquated statements. The script also uses first-hand accounts from several women who have been denied access to abortion care. The result is a near-dystopian film that reveals just how far political rhetoric has regressed and how it continues to affect women’s lives.

What the judges had to say:

“We thought ‘The Trial’ was very well-crafted. The storytelling and script were powerful and we felt it earned the Bronze recognition. But, if I can say this, we felt it stayed at the awareness level. It didn’t go beyond that. And while a serious tone is appropriate – especially for stories about threatened rights – we also felt it lacked hope. That became a deciding factor when we discussed the future of Health and Wellness and where we want it to go.” – Angela Williams, CD at Deloitte Digital, U.S.

“’The Trial’ dealt with politics and politicians, and there was a real determination behind it. The creative idea, the script – it all came together really well. It also aligned with where we see the future heading, which is toward entertaining, warmer and more joyful storytelling.” – Eugene Park, global marketing lead at CJ CheilJedang, South Korea

BRONZE: “The Count” by FCB for SickKids Foundation

“The Count” is a two-minute film created to mark SickKids Foundation’s 150th anniversary, and a new chapter in the long-running SickKids “VS” platform. Featuring real patients, the spot uses a simple but powerful device – a child’s voice counting each year of their life – to show the emotional and physical toll of the fight against childhood cancer. Set within the hospital, it highlights the resilience of patients and families while sharing the campaign’s core message: the fight for the chance to celebrate another year, another birthday.

What the judges had to say:

“The craft behind the piece was truly exceptional. They were real children suffering from cancer, filmed in a real hospital. The voiceover and soundtrack featured the same children, and all the music was composed using original instruments – nothing was computer-generated. And they worked within significant budget constraints, which they spoke about as well. Despite all that, they created a piece that moved the entire jury to tears. In our discussions, we talked a lot about where we want the industry to go, how we want it to evolve. Given everything that’s going on in the world, how do you make health and wellness information not just engaging, but something that makes people feel good and empowered by?” – Rohini Miglani, VP at P&G Singapore

Outdoor (1 Silver, 2 Bronze)

SILVER: “Balikbayan Magic: Philippine Oriental Food Market” by VML Toronto for Coca-Cola

“Balikbayan Magic” is a heartfelt campaign that pays tribute to the Filipino tradition of sending care packages (Balikbayan boxes) to loved ones back home. Rather than focusing on the gifts themselves, the campaign highlighted the community spirit behind the ritual, spotlighting the role of Sari-Sari stores as cultural touchstones. At the heart of the story is Tita Rosita, a Toronto shop owner whose family-run storefront was transformed into a giant Balikbayan box, and custom boxes were provided for Filipinos in Canada to send home.

BRONZE: “Trollboards” by Courage Toronto for Skyscanner

“Trollboards” was a real-time stunt that saw Skyscanner hijack the NBA Playoffs to introduce the brand to a North American audience. Playing off the inside joke “1, 2, 3… Cancun” (a dig used when teams are eliminated) the brand launched a 100-foot billboard following round one of the playoffs – which saw the elimination of the Dallas Mavericks from the competition – with the tag: “Dallas to Cancun. For great flights to Cancun, visit Skyscanner.” The campaign progressed with several more “Trollboards,” including one that invited “Boston to The White House” when the Celtics won the championship.

What the judges had to say:

“This campaign tapped into sports culture. It was a real-time response campaign. So I was a bit disappointed not to see it place in the Real-Time Response categories – it actually won in Best Use of Budget, which is still well-deserved. It was a brilliant idea that responded to a cultural moment and spread across social and PR. At its core, it was a simple bold billboard, and the reactions spread from there.” – Graham Lang, CCO, VML

BRONZE: “See My Name” by Rethink Toronto for Molson Coors

“See My Name” flipped the script on the traditional hockey jersey to highlight a longstanding gender bias. In the PWHL, where players’ ponytails often obscure their names, Molson – the official jersey sponsor – moved its logo up to make space for players’ names to sit clearly below their numbers. Launched on International Women’s Day, the campaign put athlete recognition ahead of brand visibility, earning more than 2.9 billion impressions to became the most shared campaign in Molson’s history.

What the judges had to say:

“‘See My Name’ is a beautiful piece of work that showed a big brand honoring a community. What’s brilliant is that they sacrificed some of their own branding to spotlight the players. If you’re at a hockey game, you’re seeing it on the ice. So the core idea played out in a live, public setting, which qualifies as outdoor.” – Graham Lang, CCO, VML