Australia's Top Creative Talent Revealed: Who Will Compete at Cannes Lions 2026?

Young Lions Australia 2026 Finalists Announced

Advertising Council Australia (ACA) has unveiled the finalists for the 2026 Young Lions Australia Competition, setting the stage for the next generation of creative talent to represent Australia at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Young Lions Australia at Cannes.

The Competition: A Real-World Challenge

This year, hundreds of competitors across media, digital, film, PR, and marketing categories tackled a brief from Project Planet for its Build a Ballot platform. Teams had just four days to develop and submit their responses, testing their ability to think quickly and creatively under pressure.

Entries were judged anonymously by over 200 industry leaders, with five executive juries selecting the finalists based on innovation, clarity, and resilience.

Meet the Finalists

Here are the standout teams across each category:

• Media (presented by WPP Media ANZ CEO Aimee Buchanan):
  • Initiative’s Ashu Matai and Joe Douglas
  • This Is Flow’s Sophie Stone and Wavemaker’s Olivia Hawkes
  • Nine’s Tayla Orr and Starcom’s Lizzie Nan Tie

• Marketing (presented by Suncorp Group executive general manager brand & customer experience, Mim Haysom):
  • Carsales’s Isabelle Lee and Yasmin Chagas
  • L’Oreal’s Liliana Neame and Marion Arque
  • Google’s Henry Van Laeren and Reckitt’s James Oxford

• Digital (presented by M+C Saatchi Group chief creative officer, Emma Robbins):
  • TBWA\Melbourne’s Noa Shenker and Michael Orfanos
  • The Taboo Group’s Alicia Spyropoulos and Zoe d'Orey
  • ABEL’s Tyla Rose and Margaux Dalgleish

• Film (presented by Cocogun's co-founder and creative founder Ant Melder):
  • TBWA\Sydney Louis Royle and Sophie Verheul
  • Juicebox’s Cathal Mongey and Moonsail’s Joe Wilkie
  • Dentsu Creative’s Lachlan Collie and Paris Elwood

• PR (presented by Supermassive co-founder Simone Gupta):
  • Poem Group’s Jake Jamieson and Ruby Clarke
  • Marketforce WA’s Jamie Wyatt and Thinkerbell’s AJ McLaughlin
  • Roc Cloudy’s Yin Yin Wu and The PR Group’s Phoebe Kee

What’s Next: The Road to Cannes

The winners will be announced on March 27 following a live judging event in Sydney. The five winning teams will earn the opportunity to travel to France and compete at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.

Hannah Sturrock, ACA national head of engagement, emphasized the competition’s rigor: “Young Lions is intentionally demanding. Teams have just a few days to respond to a real brief, and the finalists must then present that thinking live to the Executive Jury. It’s a great test of how people think under pressure. The judges aren’t just looking for a strong idea, but for teams who can clearly articulate their thinking and show they have the composure and resilience to represent Australia at Cannes.”

This competition not only highlights emerging talent but also underscores the importance of creativity, collaboration, and resilience in the marketing and advertising industries.