What a Cannes Lions jury looks for
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Cannes Lions is one of the world’s leading creative awards festivals, but what actually happens inside the jury room?
In this episode of Talking in Creative Circles, guest host Danni Pinch, ECD at Accenture Song Cape Town, speaks to two South African creatives who judged at Cannes Lions 2026: Suhana Gordhan, CCO at LoveSong, who judged Glass: The Lions for Change, and Jabulani Sigege, Group ECD at Machine, who judged Audio and Radio.
Danni also shares her own experience from the Entertainment Lions for Gaming jury.
Together, they unpack what makes work stand out, how juries move entries from shortlist to metal, and why the best work needs craft, context, honesty and real-world impact.
The conversation also explores standout winning work, the importance of clear case studies, what South African agencies can learn from Cannes, and why local creative talent belongs in global rooms.
In this episode of Talking in Creative Circles, guest host Danni Pinch, ECD at Accenture Song Cape Town, speaks to two South African creatives who judged at Cannes Lions 2026: Suhana Gordhan, CCO at LoveSong, who judged Glass: The Lions for Change, and Jabulani Sigege, Group ECD at Machine, who judged Audio and Radio.
Danni also shares her own experience from the Entertainment Lions for Gaming jury.
Together, they unpack what makes work stand out, how juries move entries from shortlist to metal, and why the best work needs craft, context, honesty and real-world impact.
The conversation also explores standout winning work, the importance of clear case studies, what South African agencies can learn from Cannes, and why local creative talent belongs in global rooms.
Chapters
- 01:03 Meet the hosts and judges
- 02:19 Back from Cannes: first reflections
- 03:11 Judge vs. delegate: a different lens
- 03:39 Sitting in the jury room
- 03:59 Suhana's category: Glass: The Lion for Change
- 04:16 A remarkably diverse jury
- 05:57 Jabu's category: audio and radio
- 07:34 Judging without an
- 08:56 How the judging process actually works
- 12:29 Awarding up, never down
- 16:35 Why gold and bronze aren't random
- 16:59 Case study: the Māori Roll Call
- 25:55 Case study: the Coqui Alarm
- 29:49 Case study: Skinny's ad-for-airtime deal
- 30:49 Case study: Welcome Back by Tecate
- 32:36 Danni's pick: Silent Cleaning game
- 35:51 South Africa and gaming entries
- 38:56 Top tips for next year's entries
- 42:15 Beware of embellishing your case study
- 44:12 Closing thoughts and thanks
