Cannes Lions 2026 has released the shortlist for the Social & Creator Lions category, one of the Festival’s most relevant competitions for understanding the current role of social platforms, creators, digital communities and influence in global creativity.
The Social & Creator Lions celebrate ideas that live, grow and scale in social environments, recognising campaigns capable of generating conversation, participation, co-creation, real-time response, shareable content, active communities and cultural relevance beyond traditional advertising formats.
The 2026 Jury President for Social & Creator Lions is Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer at LePub, Global. His leadership brings an international creative perspective to a category shaped by contemporary culture, social behaviour and the ability of brands to enter real conversations.
The Social & Creator Lions 2026 shortlist includes 159 shortlisted entries, distributed across 91 unique campaigns and 35 subcategories covering brand sectors, community management, audience targeting, real-time response, social listening, brand storytelling, creator collaboration, social film, co-creation, social commerce, multi-platform social campaigns, social purpose, challenger brands, social behaviour, humour, market disruption and cultural engagement.
The selection confirms that social creativity is no longer simply about posting content on platforms. This year’s finalists show how brands are using platforms, creators, fandoms, memes, algorithms, communities, data and cultural conversation to build ideas that behave like living content.
Among the most represented brands in the shortlist are Vaseline, Apple, KITKAT, McDonald’s, Columbia Sportswear, Dove Hair, Burger King, CeraVe, Dr Pepper, Huggies, Penny, Heineken, Uva App, Lay’s, M&M’S, LEGO and Pepsi. The range of advertisers confirms that Social & Creator Lions has become a cross-category territory for consumer goods, entertainment, healthcare, technology, gaming, retail, services and social impact.
The United States leads the shortlist with 46 shortlisted entries, followed by the United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Singapore, Canada, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Italy, South Africa and other markets. This geographic spread confirms social creativity’s global role as a brand language.
In Consumer Goods, shortlisted work includes “Dove R/eal Reviews” by Dove Hair; “The KITKAT Heist” by KITKAT; “CeraVe – The New Face of Legs” by CeraVe; “Mntana Ka Gogo” by Vaseline; and “Expedition Impossible” by Columbia Sportswear. This section shows how consumer brands are using social conversation, humour, reviews, influencers and digital culture to strengthen credibility and recall.
In Healthcare, Cannes Lions selected “Vaseline and the Real Nigerian Prince” by Vaseline and “Donate to Play” by Grupo Pulsa. Their inclusion confirms that social platforms can also activate conversations around health, donation, inclusion and education when the idea is built from clear cultural codes.
In Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains, the shortlist features “Sheep Happens” by Penny; “The Filet-O-Fish Facebook Society of 2012” by McDonald’s; and “Mojo Supermarket – The Bite” by Burger King. These campaigns show how social can turn consumption habits, digital nostalgia and everyday moments into participation mechanisms.
Audience Targeting/Engagement Strategies is one of the largest sections of the shortlist, with work such as “Covert Recruiter” by French Army Human Ressources Directorate; “MacBook Neo” by Apple; “Protect the Peanut” by Mars Snacking; “Copycats Welcome” by Clash Royale; “The Fandom Comeback” by Tecate; “Cif Clean My Name” by Cif; “Firecatchers” by Sapeurs Pompiers de France; and “You Are Not Your Selfie” by Natura.
The strength of Audience Targeting shows that social creativity increasingly depends on understanding specific communities. The strongest campaigns are not trying to speak to everyone; they identify behaviours, tensions, interests, fandom codes and participation moments to activate audiences with greater precision.
Real-Time Response includes campaigns such as “The Dr Pepper Jingle”, “Sheep Happens”, “The KITKAT Heist”, “Uva Uva Bombón”, “The Password Heist” and “Mojo Supermarket – The Bite”. This section shows how brands are learning to move at the speed of digital culture, reacting with timing, humour and strategic relevance.
In Social Listening & Insight, shortlisted work includes “Dove R/eal Reviews”, “CeraVe – The New Face of Legs” and “Mojo Supermarket – The Bite”. These campaigns demonstrate how active listening can become the starting point for ideas that feel more authentic, relevant and shareable.
**Brand Storytelling includes “Protect the Peanut” by Mars Snacking; “Expensive Sh*t” by Huggies; “The 58 Year Old Rookie” by Opella; “Look Behind You” by Verizon; “The Most Epic Watch Party Group” by Lay’s; “M&M’S RickTok” by M&M’S; “The Triangle Theory” by Doritos; and “Kung Fries” by McDonald’s.** The section confirms that social storytelling requires narratives designed to travel across platforms, audiences and conversations.
In Innovative Engagement of Community, the shortlist features “Stella Locad Guides”, “The Dr Pepper Jingle”, “The Filet-O-Fish Facebook Society of 2012”, “The KITKAT Heist”, “The Feathered Lamb”, “Vaseline Originals”, “The Most Epic Watch Party Group”, “M&M’S RickTok” and “Expedition Impossible”. These entries show how brands are building community through shared codes, participation and belonging.
Creator & Influencer Sourced Insight includes “From a Crocodile to the Goat” by Lacoste and “The GymTok Menu” by KFC Australia. Their presence confirms that creators are no longer only amplification channels: they are also sources of insight, language, behaviour and cultural strategy.
In Organic Reach & Influence, Cannes Lions selected “The Least Most Interesting Man” by Dos Equis; “Pope Yes” by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen; “The KITKAT Heist”; “CeraVe – The New Face of Legs”; and “Everyone Wants a Piece” by LEGO. These campaigns prove that organic reach remains one of the strongest indicators of relevance when an idea is adopted by audiences.
Creator Cross-Channel Storytelling and Creator Collaboration include work such as “Salesforce x MrBeast Presents: The Million Dollar Puzzle”, “#MainFlavourEnergy”, “Unfamous Orders: KFC x Don Pollo”, “The WhatsApp Saga”, “Vaseline Originals”, “The Master of Speed and Stability” and “Super Size Stream”. These sections reflect the evolution of creator marketing into more narrative, integrated and multi-platform collaborations.
In Community Building, shortlisted entries include “The Fandom Comeback” by Tecate; “HVL by MCK | First-Ever 360 Shot on iPhone” by Apple; and “S.A.B” by Brahma. These campaigns show that communities are not built through reach alone, but through sustained participation, shared identity and cultural value.
Content Placement, Social Film and Social Film Series bring together entries such as “Cover It” by UNAIDS; “Content Carjacking” by Citroën; “Bad Bunny Halftime Show Trailer” by Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show; “Everyone Wants a Piece” by LEGO; “You’ve Been Warned” by Netflix; “Cara de Meme” by Desperados; “Engineered for Whatever” by Columbia Sportswear; and “A Critter Carol” by Apple. The selection confirms the weight of social video content within the category.
Co-Creation & User Generated Content is one of the most robust areas of the shortlist, with work including “Dove R/eal Reviews”, “The Filet-O-Fish Facebook Society of 2012”, “R2R←”, “The KITKAT Heist”, “Royal Hog Calling Contest”, “Accent Rresistance”, “Vaseline Originals”, “M&M’S RickTok”, “Firecatchers”, “Everyone Wants a Piece” and “Your Tree on Battersea”. This section shows how the strongest brands are creating space for communities to participate in the idea.
Social Commerce includes “Buzzcodes” by Volkswagen and “Uva Uva Bombón” by Uva App. These works show how social conversation can become a commercial experience, activation, conversion and growth when the mechanic connects entertainment with action.
**In Multi-Platform Social Campaign, finalists include “The Dr Pepper Jingle”, “Expensive Sh*t”, “Dove R/eal Reviews”, “Serving Singles”, “CeraVe – The New Face of Legs”, “The Most Epic Watch Party Group” and “The Choice”.** The section underlines that the strongest social ideas do not rely on a single platform, but on an architecture that adapts content, tone and participation across environments.
Social Purpose includes “Played by Humans”, “AXA x Sonita: The Lone Voice”, “Quili.AI”, “Code Her”, “Re-Commerce Atacama” and “You Are Not Your Selfie”. These campaigns confirm that social can also be a vehicle for amplifying causes, changing perceptions, mobilising communities and connecting purpose with action.
Mexico is represented in the shortlist by “The Fandom Comeback” by Tecate, created by LePub Mexico City. The campaign appears in Audience Targeting/Engagement Strategies and Community Building, confirming the Mexican market’s ability to connect brand, fandom, community and social participation.
**Among the most repeated campaigns in the shortlist are “The KITKAT Heist”, “Dove R/eal Reviews”, “Expedition Impossible”, “Mojo Supermarket – The Bite”, “CeraVe – The New Face of Legs”, “The Filet-O-Fish Facebook Society of 2012”, “The Dr Pepper Jingle”, “Expensive Sh*t”, “Vaseline and the Real Nigerian Prince”, “Sheep Happens”, “Could Have Been a Heineken”, “Uva Uva Bombón”, “The Most Epic Watch Party Group” and “Vaseline Originals”.** Their presence across multiple subcategories highlights the versatility of the strongest social ideas.
Social & Creator Lions 2026 arrives at a decisive moment for the creative industry, as brands compete for attention across feeds, communities, video platforms, streaming, gaming, fan culture, algorithmic conversations and spaces where audiences have more power than ever.
With this shortlist, Cannes Lions 2026 confirms that social creativity is now central to brand-building. The strongest ideas are not only posted: they are shared, commented on, remixed, co-created, turned into culture and used to build more active relationships between brands, creators and communities.
DOVE R/EAL REVIEWS
THE KITKAT HEIST
CERAVE – THE NEW FACE OF LEGS
MNTANA KA GOGO
EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE
VASELINE AND THE REAL NIGERIAN PRINCE
DONATE TO PLAY
SHEEP HAPPENS
THE FILET-O-FISH FACEBOOK SOCIETY OF 2012
THE BITE
FANTASTIC KEYS
A NEW DAY DAWNS: WORLDWIDE TRAILER LAUNCH EVENT
ROAD TEST ROYALE
PROTEST MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
QUILI.AI: A TOWN BECOMES AI FOR A DAY TO SAVE ITS WATER
THE FILET-O-FISH FACEBOOK SOCIETY OF 2012
THE KITKAT HEIST
COVERT RECRUITER
MACBOOK NEO
PROTECT THE PEANUT
COPYCATS WELCOME
DOVE R/EAL REVIEWS
SERVING SINGLES
THE FANDOM COMEBACK
CIF CLEAN MY NAME
NISSAN PATROL. IT’S OUT THERE.
COULD HAVE BEEN A HEINEKEN
EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE
FIRECATCHERS
UNFINISHED LEGACIES
OLYMPIC RINGS PASTA
YOU ARE NOT YOUR SELFIE
THE DR PEPPER JINGLE
SHEEP HAPPENS
THE KITKAT HEIST
UVA UVA BOMBÓN
THE PASSWORD HEIST
THE BITE
DOVE R/EAL REVIEWS
CERAVE – THE NEW FACE OF LEGS
THE BITE
PROTECT THE PEANUT
EXPENSIVE SH*T
THE 58 YEAR OLD ROOKIE
LOOK BEHIND YOU
SCOTTIES BARNES
THE MOST EPIC WATCH PARTY GROUP
M&M’S RICKTOK
THE TRIANGLE THEORY
EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE
KUNG FRIES
STELLA LOCAD GUIDES
THE DR PEPPER JINGLE
EXPENSIVE SH*T
THE FILET-O-FISH FACEBOOK SOCIETY OF 2012
THE KITKAT HEIST
THE FEATHERED LAMB
VASELINE ORIGINALS
THE MOST EPIC WATCH PARTY GROUP
M&M’S RICKTOK
EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE
FROM A CROCODILE TO THE GOAT
THE GYMTOK MENU
THE LEAST MOST INTERESTING MAN
POPE YES
THE KITKAT HEIST
CERAVE – THE NEW FACE OF LEGS
EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE
SALESFORCE X MRBEAST PRESENTS: THE MILLION DOLLAR PUZZLE
#MAINFLAVOURENERGY
UNFAMOUS ORDERS: KFC X DON POLLO
BRINGING KOALA EARS BACK TO AUSSIE BEACHES
THE DR PEPPER JINGLE
THE WHATSAPP SAGA
#MAINFLAVOURENERGY
VASELINE AND THE REAL NIGERIAN PRINCE
VASELINE ORIGINALS
THE MASTER OF SPEED AND STABILITY
SUPER SIZE STREAM
THE FANDOM COMEBACK
HVL BY MCK | FIRST-EVER 360 SHOT ON IPHONE
S.A.B
COVER IT
CONTENT CARJACKING
BAD BUNNY HALFTIME SHOW TRAILER
BAD BUNNY HALFTIME SHOW – SHOT ON IPHONE
EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
CARA DE MEME
ENGINEERED FOR WHATEVER – PRODUCT TEST FILMS
BOAH, BAHN!
SPEED GOES PRO
