The first day of Cannes Lions 2026 delivered 119 awards across seven categories, with Grands Prix for Hyundai Puerto Rico, SKF, AB InBev, The Ordinary, Heinz Ketchup, Novartis and Mercado Livre

Cannes Lions 2026 opened its first day of activity with a strong awards showcase, recognising winners across Audio & Radio Lions, Creative B2B Lions, Creative Brand Lions, Health & Wellness Lions, Print & Publishing Lions, Pharma Lions and Outdoor Lions.

The first group of winners totalled 119 awards, spanning Grands Prix, Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions, as well as campaign recognitions. The day set the creative tone for the Festival with work that combines craft, effectiveness, culture, innovation, healthcare, outdoor media, audio, brand-building and business transformation.

Seven major works took home the day’s Grands Prix. In Audio & Radio, the top honour went to “Coquí Alarmed” by Hyundai Puerto Rico, created by BBDO Puerto Rico. In Creative B2B, the Grand Prix went to “The Faroe Islands Space Program” by SKF, developed by NORD Stockholm.

Creative Brand Lions awarded its inaugural Grand Prix to “ABInBev: Creativity at Scale” by AB InBev, entered by Anheuser-Busch InBev from Leuven, Belgium. The category also recognised Mastercard with a Creative Brand Lion, reinforcing the growing importance of internal systems, brand culture and organisational capabilities as drivers of sustained creativity.

In Health & Wellness Lions, the Grand Prix went to “The Periodic Fable” by The Ordinary, created by Smuggler London and Uncommon Creative Studio London. The category also awarded Gold Lions to “Art’s Missing Period” by Kotex; “Supernova Adaptive” by Adidas; “Beat Cancer Off” by Fuck Cancer; “Vehicle of Hope” by Caritas; and “Donate to Play” by Grupo Pulsa.

Pharma Lions awarded its Grand Prix to “Relax Your Tight End” by Novartis, created by Fallon Minneapolis. The category also gave a Gold Lion to “Viagra Blue Brands” by Viatris, developed by Ogilvy Shanghai, confirming the strength of pharmaceutical communication that embraces clarity, cultural tone and memorable execution.

Print & Publishing Lions awarded the Grand Prix to “Look Familiar?” by Heinz Ketchup, created by Rethink Toronto. The category also recognised “Iconic Home” by Dunkin’ at Home with a Gold Lion campaign award, and “The Trojan Fax” by IUCN French Committee x Fujifilm Print, created by BETC Paris, with a Gold Lion.

Outdoor Lions was one of the strongest categories of the first day, with 40 awards. The Grand Prix went to “Field Barcode” by Mercado Livre, created by GUT São Paulo, a piece that turned the visual code of a football pitch into a platform for retail impact, outdoor media and consumer behaviour.

Outdoor Gold Lions included “Coincidence?” by Heinz Ketchup; McDonald’s campaign entries “Gig”, “Wedding” and “Bowling”; “Tiny Coffee Shops” by De’Longhi; “Let’s End Fast Tech” by Back Market; “Sunburnt Car” by Mycar; “The Last Coke in the Desert” by Coca-Cola; and “Could Have Been a Heineken” by Heineken. The selection confirmed outdoor’s continued power as a space for visual simplicity, contextual relevance and cultural impact.

Audio & Radio Lions delivered 15 awards and highlighted sound-led ideas with purpose, humour and innovation. Beyond the Grand Prix for “Coquí Alarmed”, Gold Lions went to “Sleep Talk Reviews” by IKEA, created by Rethink Toronto, and “Searching for Birds on Wires” by Abradee, developed by Africa Creative São Paulo.

Creative B2B Lions awarded 11 prizes and reinforced the expansion of creativity within business-to-business marketing. Alongside SKF’s Grand Prix, Gold Lions went to “Soil Stay” by Tra Mongkut Fertilizer, created by VML Bangkok, and “Tocayos” by Heineken, developed by LePub Milan.

Health & Wellness was one of the most awarded areas of the first day, with 31 prizes. The winners reflected a wide range of approaches to healthcare, accessibility, wellbeing, personal care, inclusion, social causes and useful solutions, with work from brands and organisations including The Ordinary, Kotex, Adidas, Fuck Cancer, Caritas, Grupo Pulsa, Vaseline, Opella, Samsung, Pedigree and Penguins International.

The first day also delivered a strong reading for Latin America. Puerto Rico won the Audio & Radio Grand Prix with Hyundai Puerto Rico; Brazil took the Outdoor Grand Prix with Mercado Livre and a Health & Wellness Gold Lion with Grupo Pulsa; Argentina appeared through Mercado Libre in Audio & Radio and Outdoor; and Mexico had relevant participation in regional and global work including “The Last Coke in the Desert” by Coca-Cola, with involvement from VML Mexico City.

The day confirmed that Cannes Lions 2026 is rewarding ideas that move across creativity, utility, technology and culture. The winning work stood out not only for craft or execution, but for its ability to enter conversations, create new behaviours, solve concrete problems and build value for brands, audiences and communities.

The opening of Cannes Lions 2026 sends a clear signal to the industry: winning creativity is increasingly connected to systems, experiences and results. From a sound inspired by Puerto Rico’s coquí to a barcode built into a football pitch, the first Grands Prix show that the strongest ideas turn context, culture and execution into real impact.

Lions Health Grand Prix for Good

Creative Brand

Audio & Radio

Pharma

Outdoor

Print & Publishing

Creative B2B

Health & Wellness