Slow start for India at Cannes Lions 

Industry observers note that the jury evaluations this year have been far more rigorous than previous years after the festival organisers took back a coveted Grand Prix from Brazilian agency DM9, whose award-winning entry featured AI-manipulated content. Two Indian campaigns too found themselves at the centre of controversies last year.

Aalap Desai, co-founder and CCO of tgthr, who has been on a Cannes Lions jury in the past, explains that the entire evaluation process can be rather gruelling. He believes that last year’s controversies may have cast a shadow on all the Indian entries this time.

“The scrutiny for Indian work may be a bit higher this time, which could explain the fewer shortlists. Having said that, the verification of entries, however, was needed and it makes the system better,” he remarks.

However, Desai adds that though India’s wins may be lower than last year’s tally of 32 metals, the prospects still look good since there are several interesting entries from diverse brands this year.

India has a total of 13 industry leaders on different juries this year. Gurbaksh Singh, CCO and CIO of Dentsu Creative India, who is on the digital craft jury this year, observes that the bar this year is noticeably higher, but that is a positive step for the industry globally.

“Juries are rewarding work with real-world impact and authenticity, which encourages agencies to meaningfully solve problems and create tangible change,” he says.

Singh also said that a lower number of shortlists is not a reflection on Indian creativity. “India continues to produce world-class ideas, but the benchmark at Cannes keeps evolving. If anything, a more demanding judging process should motivate all of us to push the quality of work even further,” he adds.

Another leader on condition of anonymity observed that several ad agencies have chosen to stay away entirely from Cannes this year largely due to budget considerations.

Entries for Cannes and global award platforms are highly priced, sometimes over Rs 1 lakh an entry. This year has been tough on advertisers and ad agencies, with the global geopolitical turmoil, so awards aren’t top priority, she says.
To be sure, this is true not only for India but also other markets.

The festival received 20,050 entries this year from 92 countries—a 25% decline from 26,900 submissions in 2025. Indian entries reportedly declined 31% this year – 676 submissions were sent this year compared to 982 last year.

Binda Dey, group CMO, Knight Riders Sports, who is on the Lions for Sport jury, notes that the rigorous evaluation process at Cannes this year presents both, a challenge and opportunity for India and similar markets.

“Strong, culturally rooted ideas stand out, but they need sharper storytelling and clearer articulation to help global juries fully understand the nuance behind them. Without that context, some of the depth and intent can get lost in translation,” she points out.

Where India can score big is on cultural insight and emotional storytelling in everyday truths. But Dey adds that Indian teams can do better in consistency of craft and clarity of explanation. India will compete consistently at the top when that gap is closed, she sums up.