Cannes Lions 2026: India bags 1 Bronze Lion on Day 2

Following a promising opening day at Cannes Lions 2026, where it secured two Silver and two Bronze metals, India’s winning momentum slowed down on Day 2 as it bagged only one Bronze Lion across the eight categories announced, bringing India's total metal tally to 5 Lions. However, India’s prospects still look promising as the Gold and Grand Prix winners for the day remain to be unveiled.

On the festival’s second day, winners are being announced across eight categories: Design, Digital Craft, Film Craft, Industry Craft, Entertainment Lions, Entertainment Lions for Gaming, Entertainment Lions for Music, and Entertainment Lions for Sport.

TBWA\ Lintas' Don’t Look Up for Steadfast’s Fake Money Detector stood out as it bagged a Bronze Lion in the Film Craft category for its script. The film, produced by Ducktape Studios, was built on the insight that in India, verifying the authenticity of currency is a daily routine, often done using manual methods like holding notes against light to check for security features. Using dark humour, it highlights the unreliability of this practice, placing the brand’s currency-counting machines with built-in counterfeit detection features as a better alternative.

Sharing his excitement on the recognition, Russell Barrett, Chief Creative Experience Officer, TBWA\ Lintas said, “This is the first international award for TBWA\ Lintas and we all couldn’t be prouder of what this signals. The best way to answer doubts and questions is to simply put your head down and do the work. The credit for this rests entirely with Kapil Batra, who cracked and wrote this absolute gem of a script. A craft award for script writing, therefore, makes it even sweeter. I have huge respect for Raylin Valles and Ducktape Studios for making one of the most well-crafted films in recent times, and of course, for the most inspiring client, Vikram Raj, Chairman of Transtronix India, who insists on only the most famous work for all his brands, including Steadfast. While ‘Don’t Look Up’ won, we collectively have a lot to look forward to.”

Out of the eight categories today, India had secured two shortlists in Design and three shortlists in Film Craft, bringing the tally to five shortlists. However, only one campaign has converted into a win so far.

In the Design category, 22Feet’s The Art of Survival for Godawan was shortlisted in the Packaging Design sub-category. In the same category, VML’s The Slooowest Vending Machine In The Word for KitKat received a shortlist in the Brand Environment and Experience Design sub-category.

In the Film Craft category, besides the winning campaign, Ogilvy India’s Renu Vs The City for St. Jude India Childcare Centres, and Zigzag Films and Talented’s Jeere Mein Heera for Coca-Cola were also shortlisted.

This marks a drop from last year, when India secured 17 shortlists across the same categories, and won 3 metals.

How India Fared In These Categories In 2025

India’s showing at Cannes Lions 2026 has been steady so far, with the country opening its tally with four metals on Day 1 despite a lower volume of entries this year.

On the first day, Leo India’s The Unofficial Official Sound of F1 for Sting (PepsiCo) bagged a Silver Lion in the Audio & Radio category. Colgate’s Indianis Dentris by The Refinery Mumbai and Brand David Communications won a Silver Lion, and Ogilvy India’s Renu vs The Cityfor St. Jude India ChildCare Centres bagged a Bronze Lion in the Health & Wellness category. Lastly, Tata 1mg’s Sawaal Uthao campaign by Humour Me secured a Bronze Lion in the Pharma category.

Here is the list of wins on Day 2 so far:

FILM CRAFT – 1 BRONZE

1. Don’t Look Up for Steadfast’s Fake Money Detector by TBWA\ Lintas

India has secured 23 shortlists across 30 categories so far, with the winners of several key categories yet to be announced. While the start has been measured, the chances of India’s performance picking pace remain promising.