National CineMedia, U.S. Representative for Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Launches the 2024 Young Lions Competition

The U.S. Representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and largest cinema advertising platform, National CineMedia (NCM), announces the launch of the 2024 U.S. Young Lions competition. Registration begins today, January 8^th, and is open through February 2^nd for advertising, marketing and communications industry professionals age 30 or under. The categories for the 2024 competition are Digital, Film, Media, PR, and Print and the competition runs from February 8^th through February 20^th. The winners in each of the five categories become TEAM USA and head to Cannes, France to compete on a global stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June. See full calendar here.

The 2024 Young Lions competition opens the door to up-and-coming creatives, with an intense focus on smart, strategic, original ideas across disciplines. It is the most prestigious competition in the U.S. for today’s rising stars in the creative, media, PR and digital industries. In 2024, NCM aims to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion by continuing its Young Lions campaign, Represent!, to strengthen participation and further elevate young professionals who benefit from this program.

“In 2024 we are doubling down on our growth strategy for the Young Lions competition,” shares Amy Tunick, Chief Marketing Officer at NCM. “Last year we saw a 16% increase in applicants and this year we are building upon our success and driving deeper engagement with the Young Lions community, comprised of past and current participants, jurors and sponsors. We are pleased to announce new programming and networking opportunities, along with many new industry partners who are committed to lifting up the next generation of creative leaders.”

Thanks to the support of the Young Lions sponsors, each competition winner will receive an invaluable Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity experience including travel, hotel accommodations, festival passes and exclusive programming. This year Monotype, a global leader in type and technology, joins as the official Print Category sponsor. Returning category sponsors include Digitas (Digital); Pereira & O’Dell (Film); UM (Media); and Weber Shandwick (PR).

To expand upon the growing industry support for Young Lions, NCM is launching two new programs to support the competitors’ career development. The first is the Young Lions Mentorship Program which offers relevant programming exclusively to the U.S. Young Lions community from a mix of industry partners. Each participating company will have top executives lead bespoke virtual workshops focusing on a range of relevant topics: