Cannes Lions: India bags 41 shortlists across 10 categories

India has made a powerful mark at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025, earning 41 shortlists across 10 of the 11 categories announced today. This strong performance underscores the growing global influence of Indian creativity, with agencies delivering campaigns that blend cultural nuance, social relevance, and digital innovation.

From behavioural design and humour-led influencer content to emotionally rich brand storytelling, Indian agencies have demonstrated creative excellence across Design, Direct, Media, PR, Entertainment, Film Craft, Industry Craft, Gaming, Music, and Social & Influencer.

India bagged five shortlists in the Design Lions, with Ogilvy India’s “Eye Test Menu” for Titan Eyewear emerging as a category highlight. The campaign, shortlisted in both Posters and Behavioural Design, cleverly used restaurant menus to promote vision testing. Famous Innovations’ “Seven Layers of Truth” for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation also drew praise for its innovative ultrasound envelope execution to combat gender bias.

In the Direct Lions, India secured five shortlists, led by FCB India’s “Lucky Yatra” for Indian Railways. The campaign struck a chord with juries for its culturally immersive approach. Leo India’s “Oreo History in the Baking” and Havas India’s “Ink of Democracy” for The Times of India added to the tally with their clever brand storytelling and civic messaging.

India earned three shortlists each in Music and Sport, and two shortlists in Gaming under the Entertainment track. VML India’s “The Girl Who Played the Tutari” for Coke Studio Bharat and BBDO India’s WhatsApp campaign “Oye Lucky” stood out for their strong cultural and musical integration.

Meanwhile, Talented’s “Avani’s Gold” and Leo India’s Oreo campaign scored in Entertainment for Sport, while DDB Mudra’s “Great In-Game Wedding” for Battlegrounds Mobile India made a splash in Gaming, celebrating online community rituals with real-world emotion.

Indian entries saw three shortlists in Film Craft, with entries like “Dirty Money” by Lowe Lintas and Apple’s “Work Is Worth It” (co-created with TBWA India) getting nods for standout execution. One shortlist also came through in Industry Craft, with Talented’s work for Britannia.

India had an especially strong showing in Media, netting nine shortlists — the highest for the country in any single category today. From Ogilvy’s “Eye Test Menu” and Havas’ “Ink of Democracy”, to Leo’s “Takeoff Takeover” for Cathay Pacific and Dentsu Creative’s “Garuda Rakshak”, these campaigns reflected smart media strategy with cultural depth.

In PR, FCB’s “Lucky Yatra” led with four shortlistings, followed by Amazon’s “Box to Beds” and Volvo’s “Most Ignored Painting”, both recognised for innovative use of stunts and cultural engagement.

In the Social & Influencer Lions, three Indian campaigns stood out for their use of digital humour and creator collaborations: Wondrlab’s “The Right Signs” for Josh, BBH India’s “Bassi vs Men’s Facewash” for Garnier, and Ogilvy’s “Erase Valentine’s Day” for Cadbury 5 Star.

The Cannes Lions Awards Shows will take place from Monday, June 16 to Friday, June 20, 2025, with more shortlists across other categories to be revealed in the coming days.