July, 2025.- Cannes Lions 2025 was rocked by controversy after multiple ghost campaigns and manipulated entries were exposed, leading to the withdrawal of two Grand Prix and 24 Lions across 12 categories. The incident sparked widespread industry concern over award credibility.
In response, “Scammed Lions” emerged as an independent initiative aiming to symbolically reassign the rescinded awards to honest and verified campaigns. The movement is not about public shaming but restoring creative justice and celebrating work that played by the rules.
Led by creative intelligence platform Adaily, the initiative used AI to identify deserving campaigns from over 4,800 awarded works between 2019 and 2025. Selection criteria included category, award level, execution quality, and a manual legitimacy review.
Highlighted replacements include “Life Donor Card” by Mastercard, “Daisy vs Scammers” by O2, “Burger to King” by Burger King, and “Football is for Food” by Uber Eats, all of which stand out for their creative integrity and cultural relevance.
The initiative features a ghost lion visual—a satirical twist on the Cannes Lions logo— underscoring its complete independence from the festival and its lack of official endorsement.
In reaction to the scandal, Cannes Lions has announced new safeguards: mandatory disclosure of AI use, digital content screening tools, an AI and ethics review board, and an updated Code of Conduct.
“Scammed Lions” takes the stance that, like the Olympics, disqualified awards should be reassigned to the next best legitimate entry, ensuring that deserving work receives its due recognition.This isn’t just a critique; it’s a wake-up call. In an age of AI-driven creativity and increasing scrutiny, authenticity, transparency, and ethical practices are now non-negotiable pillars of the creative industry.
