Why Doesn’t Cannes Award Sponsorship Lions?
The Cannes Lions celebrate creative excellence and effectiveness in every sector and discipline of the industry as one of the most prestigious awards in the marketing industry.
If so, why is there no category for Sponsorship Marketing?
Recently, Business Insider noted that “The Cannes Lions awards have been around for more than 70 years, so they must constantly evolve to keep up with industry trends.” A significant change was the expansion of the aperture of Glass: The Lion for Change, which celebrates creativity that promotes equal representation, beyond just gender, to include disability, race, sexuality, and social inequity. “Expanding its scope allows us to celebrate ideas promoting equitable representation across a broader range of communities, while emphasizing authentic inclusivity throughout the creative process,” said Marian Brannelly, the global director of awards for the Lions, in an email to Business Insider.
One area that I would love to see is for Sponsorship Marketing to receive more recognition as a separate Cannes Lions award category. The Lions Awards are so complex that they need their own Awards Map, which is a handy image for those entering the competition. There are nine tracks, each with numerous subcategories. The closest you come to sponsorship is in categories such as Brand Experience & Activation, Entertainment, which includes categories for Entertainment, Gaming, Music, Sport, and PR, all of which fall under Engagement. See “E05- Sponsorship & Brand Partnership” under PR Craft. Under Brand Experience & Activation, you need to dig to “D04 Sponsorship & Brand aPartenrship” under the Excellence in Brand Experience.
There were some notable winners in various categories in 2025 that all feel like amazing sponsorships to me. LVMH brilliantly turned the challenge of not being allowed to have brand visibility in venues and ceremonies at the 2024 Paris Olympics into an opportunity. Instead of a campaign, they became co-producers of the Olympics with their various brands taking on distinct roles: Chaumet crafted the Olympic and Paralympic medals as fine jewelry masterpieces. Louis Vuitton designed bespoke trunks to house the medals, blending heritage with global symbolism. Berluti tailored ceremonial outfits for the torchbearers, fusing tradition with elegance. Dior collaborated on artistic performances during Olympic celebrations. Each Maison contributed its artistry to the Olympic experience itself: medals crafted by Chaumet, trunks by Louis Vuitton, uniforms by Berluti, and performances by Dior—the results were stunning. The impact was unprecedented and well-deserved, including over € 350 M in earned media, a substantial 36% increase in brand positivity, and an incredible 12x uplift in brand consideration.
MasterCard also played the role of producer with their stunning sponsorship of Lady Gaga and the Grammys by understanding that music fans don’t just sit and listen; they want to dance and sing. The brand turned the Grammys ad into a social media video by encouraging Gaga’s Little Monsters to audition for a shot-for-shot recreation of "Abracadraba," which featured choreographer Parris Goebel and a priceless appearance by Lady Gaga herself. The brand succeeded in tripling its social followers and became the #1 branded hashtag of the year, along with a 29% brand lift among Gen Z. https://www.google.com/search?q=lady+gaga+master+card+little+monsters+video&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=ive&scso=_G_JjaJ6yG5bKp84P76qkkA4_57:1008&vld=cid:2147fc6c,vid:04z-3ECoxTI,st:0
Yet, despite these and other notable winners from Powerade, Brahama, and Plaza Vea, to name a few, the Sponsorship Marketing category is invisible. In contrast, different categories, such as Creative Data, Industrial Craft, and Luxury, have their domains. This is not unique. The Effies categorize sponsorship in the Branded Content & Entertainment category.
The Cannes Lions Festival is an unforgettable experience, attracting the world's biggest brands, incredible creators, and leading media platforms. With the rise of activists such as Sport Beach and the influx of entertainment, sport, and cause marketers, I suspect ot won’t be long before the organizers see the value in the power of Sponsorship Marketing.
Mark Harrison is the founder of SponsorshipX and the MH3 Collective - you can read more from Mark here.