On the second weekend of March, 60 of Kenya’s brightest young creatives, all under 30, gathered with one goal: to secure their place in the prestigious Cannes Lions Festival in France.
As they gathered at the headquarters of East African Breweries PLC in Nairobi, the buzz of excitement at making it to the final competition was tinged with anxiety and hope.
Amongst young professionals in advertising and communications, the Young Lions Competition is the most anticipated creative event of the year. The competition is part of the larger Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a major event celebrating advertising and marketing creativity.
The competition has three categories: digital, print and online, and takes place over a two-day period.
Sponsored by Safaricom and Tusker Lager, the event showcased raw talent and innovation providing an opportunity for Kenya’s next generation of creative minds to take their place on the global stage.
“For anyone who knows advertising, Cannes Lions is the epitome of marketing and advertising. Every creative wants to go there, and for the first time, we have a Young Lions competition in Kenya. We had to be a part of this because Safaricom is a champion of creatives,” said Zizwe Awuor, Director of Brand and Marketing at Safaricom.
The jury had their work cut out for them as they evaluated the submissions with global benchmarks focusing on creativity, innovation, execution and insight.
When the moment of truth arrived, time stood still briefly as the winning names were called out.
The winners to represent Kenya in June are teams; Just Bold – Allen Mwema and George Buliba for digital, team Vibe Tribe – Wanjiru Maina and Kelvin Njoroge for print and team Olie and Lou – Olive Wangari and Louis Lukata – for design.
Speaking during the awarding ceremony, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Quollective Africa, Emuron Alemu, noted that inevitably, the calibre of creative work in Kenya would go up. “Without a doubt, in the mid- or long-term future, Kenya will be seen globally as the creative powerhouse it’s meant to be.”
As the six winners prepare to take the global stage, the question remains, who will rise to the challenge and leave their mark on the world of creativity?
Watch the video below to learn more about the event.
