Strategy was on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.
For Canadians, the final day of Cannes Lions 2025 ended on a note of optimism. Maybe it was the strong showing of our Young Lions on Friday, with the Rethink team picking up a Gold in Design and Cossette earning a Bronze in Media. But it felt like more than that.
There was no getting away from the fact that, last year, Canadians had a record-setting haul of 66 medals and one Grand Prix, while this year Canada earned 32 medals.
However, Rethink finished second for Independent Network of the Year, while Rethink Toronto finished second over all for Independent Agency of the Year, earning three Gold, four Silver and five Bronze.
Plus, several homegrown marketers and advertisers – including GE’s Bob Park and Rethink’s Mike Dubrick – were tapped to join the conversation on stage last week, contributing their perspectives through panels and presentations. Meanwhile, The Globe and Mail was recognized among the Cannes Lions’ top national festival representatives this year – praised for its diverse jury makeup and longstanding support of the Young Lions competition.
In other words, while Canada may have had a down year in terms of medals – we are leading the conversation.
On the final day of the festival, Canadians were recognized with four Lions: two Silver and a Bronze in Film, as well as a Bronze in Sustainable Development Goals.
“The Count” by FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation brought its medal count to four, with a Silver in Film, the festival’s oldest category. Klick Health also earned four total medals with one Silver and one Bronze in the same category, with “Love Captured” for The Exodus Road and “18 Months” for Second Nurture.
In the Sustainable Development Goals category, meanwhile, Publicis picked up its first medal of 2025, a Bronze, for “Wildfire Watchtowers” for Rogers.
This year’s edition drew 26,900 entries, a marginal bump of less than 1% above 2024. Compared with 2016, when the festival peaked with more than 43,000 submissions, there has been a steep 38% drop over the past decade.
Here is a look at the final tally of Canadian finalists and medallists (below).
Lions (32):
Outdoor: 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Health & Wellness: 1 Gold, 2 Bronze
Entertainment: 1 Silver
Entertainment Lions for Music: 1 Bronze
Entertainment Lions for Sport: 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Film Craft: 2 Bronze
Media: 1 Gold, 4 Bronze
Direct: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Social & Creator: 1 Gold, 2 Bronze
PR: 1 Bronze
Creative Effectiveness: 1 Bronze
Brand Experience & Activation: 1 Bronze
Creative Commerce: 1 Silver
Film: 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Sustainable Development Goals: 1 Bronze
Agencies:
Rethink: 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze
Courage: 1 Bronze
VML: 1 Silver
Klick Health: 1 Silver, 3 Bronze
FCB: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Gut Toronto: 1 Bronze
Critical Mass: 1 Bronze
Weber Shandwick: 1 Silver, 4 Bronze
Ogilvy: 2 Bronze
Publicis: 1 Bronze
Shortlists (132):
Health & Wellness: 12
Print & Publishing: 2
Outdoor: 6
Entertainment: 5
Entertainment Lions for Gaming: 1
Entertainment Lions for Music: 2
Entertainment Lions for Sport: 9
Design: 1
Digital Craft: 3
Film Craft: 10
Industry Craft: 2
Direct: 13
Media: 14
PR: 9
Social & Creator: 9
Creative Business Transformation: 1
Creative Effectiveness: 3
Brand Experience & Activation: 8
Innovation: 1
Creative Commerce: 3
Sustainable Development Lions: 1
