Fully Funded Trip to Cannes Lions 2026: How to Win the LIONS Scholarship for Young Creatives and Brand Marketers

If you work in creativity or marketing and you’ve ever dreamed of going to Cannes Lions, this is the opportunity you build your next year around.

The LIONS Scholarship 2026 is not a modest stipend or a token discount code. It’s a fully funded professional rocket boost: your travel, accommodation, allowance, and Young Lions Festival pass covered so you can spend a week immersed in the most influential creativity festival on the planet.

Ten people. Ten countries. Under 30. And you don’t need to be a global superstar yet. You need talent, proof you’re serious about your craft, and a story that shows why you’re worth investing in.

If you’re a creative (art director, copywriter, designer, director, creative technologist, journalist, PR person… basically anyone who makes ideas real) or a brand-side marketer (brand manager, marketing manager, social media lead, digital marketer), this is one of the rare scholarships that:

• Pays for everything,
• Gives you access to closed-door academies with industry leaders,
• And deliberately seeks out diverse voices – across geography, gender, race, class, and perspective.

It’s selective. It’s competitive. And yes, it’s absolutely worth stretching yourself for.

Below is your complete playbook.

LIONS Scholarship 2026 at a Glance

What This Opportunity Actually Offers (Beyond the Free Trip)

Let’s be honest: Cannes is expensive. Flights, hotels, passes, food – it adds up quickly. Most young creatives and marketers can’t justify that cost, even if they know the festival could change the trajectory of their careers.

The LIONS Scholarship removes that barrier.

Here’s what you’re getting:

1. A Fully Funded Trip to Cannes Lions 2026

You don’t have to piece together savings or beg your employer to send you.

The scholarship covers:

• Travel – your journey to and from Cannes
• Accommodation – your stay during the festival
• Allowance – some money in your pocket so you’re not eating plain baguettes all week
• Young Lions Festival Pass – your ticket into sessions, talks, and events

This is a serious investment in you as a professional, not just a conference discount.

2. A Spot in a LIONS Academy

You won’t just be wandering around the festival hoping to bump into someone important. You’ll be placed into one of two structured academies:

• Creative Academy (5 places)

  • For working creatives:
    Art Directors, Copywriters, Designers (graphic, UX/UI), Directors, Journalists, PR professionals, Creative Technologists, Engineers in creative roles, and more.
  • Expect:
    • Small-group sessions with creative leaders
    • Workshops on idea development, storytelling, craft, and effectiveness
    • Feedback on your work and thinking

• Brand Marketers Academy (5 places)

  • For brand-side / client-side people: Brand Managers, Marketing Managers, Digital Marketers, Marketing Directors, Social Media Managers, CRM leads, etc.
  • Expect:
    • Deep dives into strategy, brand-building, and audience insight
    • Case studies from winning brands
    • Practical sessions on measurement, briefing, and working with agencies

Think of it as a bootcamp-plus-festival: theory, practice, and networking all at once.

3. Access to World-Class Speakers and Mentors

Your Young Lions pass gives you access to:

• High-profile talks: global CMOs, award-winning creatives, innovators, and cultural figures
• Hands-on coaching: not just speeches, but interactive sessions where you can ask questions and get direct feedback
• A curated peer group: you’re surrounded by ambitious, under-30 professionals from all over the world

That combination – access + structure + peers – is rare. Many mid-career people would kill for this level of exposure.

Who Should Apply (And Who Shouldn’t Talk Themselves Out of It)

The LIONS Scholarship is for people who already have some experience, but aren’t yet at “global keynote” level.

Here’s the profile they’re looking for.

Core Eligibility

You must:

• Be born on or after 26 June 1995
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a minimum of two years’ work experience in a relevant role
• Be able to work and learn in English
• Fit one of these broad tracks:
  • Creative Academy – you work in the creation of ideas, content, campaigns, design, storytelling, or creative technology.
  • Brand Marketers Academy – you work client-side, responsible for brands, campaigns, budgets, or strategy.

Real-World Examples

You’re a good fit if:

• You’re a junior or mid-level copywriter at an agency in Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo, Johannesburg, or anywhere else – you write campaigns but want to sharpen your craft and build a global network.
• You’re a brand manager for a fast-growing FMCG brand in Accra or Kigali and want exposure to global strategy and effectiveness thinking.
• You’re a designer or UX lead working on digital products and wish your work had more creative recognition and strategic weight.
• You’re a social media manager who’s moved past just posting content and into serious campaign thinking and community-building.
• You’re a creative technologist or engineer building interactive experiences or tools that brands use.

You’re probably not the right fit if:

• You’re still a student with no substantive work history (internships alone likely won’t hit the “two years’ experience” bar).
• You can’t yet work comfortably in English across multiple days of sessions.
• You want to attend as an agency CEO or CMO already at the top of your game. This scholarship is designed for emerging talent, not people already in the keynote lineup.

How Competitive Is This?

Every year, hundreds of people apply for just 10 spots.

There’s a two-stage selection process:

1. Initial screening of your application.
2. Jury review by over 40 creatives: creative directors, art directors, creative partners, copywriters, and other experienced professionals from around the world.

These jurors know great work when they see it. But they also know potential – they’re looking for people who might not have the biggest budgets or fanciest clients, but show clear spark and ambition.

Treat this like a serious creative brief, not a casual form.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

You’re not filling out HR paperwork. You’re making a case for why you, out of hundreds of people, deserve an all-expenses-paid Cannes experience.

Here’s how to stack the odds in your favor.

1. Show Your Point of View, Not Just Your Job Title

Jurors are reading dozens of applications. Generic career summaries blur together.

Instead of “I’m a social media manager with three years’ experience,” try:

• What you believe about creativity or marketing.
• The problems you’re drawn to solve.
• The ways your background or context give you a different perspective.

They care about how you think, not just what’s on your LinkedIn profile.

2. Tell a Specific Story About Impact

Avoid vague statements like “I’m passionate about creativity” or “I want to learn and grow.”

Give concrete examples:

• A low-budget campaign you made that punched above its weight.
• A time you changed how your team approached a brief.
• A project where you had to fight for an unusual idea – and what happened.

Show cause and effect: “I did X, which led to Y, which mattered because Z.”

3. Make Diversity Real, Not Theoretical

The scholarship emphasizes diversity of location, gender, race, class, preference, and perspective.

Don’t treat this as a buzzword. Explain:

• Where you’re from and what working there is actually like.
• Barriers you’ve had to navigate – systemic, financial, cultural.
• How your experience helps you see audiences and ideas differently.

You’re not writing a pity story; you’re explaining why your background produces valuable insight.

4. Curate Your Work Samples Ruthlessly (If They Ask for Them)

If the application asks you to show work:

• Pick 2–4 strong pieces, not a bloated portfolio.
• For each one, briefly explain:
  • The brief (what problem were you solving?),
  • Your role,
  • The result (reach, sales, engagement, awards – or learning outcomes if you can’t share numbers).

Jurors want to see signal, not noise.

5. Write Like a Human, Not a Brochure

Avoid corporate buzzwords and empty claims.

Instead:

• Use plain language.
• Write how you’d speak to a respected mentor.
• Cut any sentence that could be said by 50 other people in exactly the same way.

The goal is to be memorable, not “professional” in the bland sense.

6. Respect the Jury’s Time

Short, sharp, clear beats long, meandering, and dramatic.

• Answer the questions directly.
• Use paragraphs, not intimidating walls of text.
• If there’s a word limit, stay under it. Overshooting doesn’t make you look “thorough”; it makes you look unable to follow instructions.

Suggested Application Timeline (Working Back from December 5, 2025)

You could leave this to the final weekend and submit something forgettable. Or you can treat it like a serious opportunity and plan properly.

Here’s a realistic timeline:

By October 15–31, 2025

• Confirm you meet age and experience requirements.
• Decide which academy fits you better: Creative or Brand Marketers.
• Start a simple document where you jot down:
  • Notable projects,
  • Achievements,
  • Challenges you’ve overcome,
  • Reasons this scholarship matters to you right now (not “someday”).

Early–Mid November 2025

• Draft your application answers.
• Ask a trusted colleague/mentor to read them:
  • Do they sound like you?
  • Are you underselling something big?
  • Are there places where you’re too vague?

Late November 2025

• Polish and tighten your writing.
• Double-check:
  • Dates of employment (to show your 2+ years’ experience),
  • Birthdate (to show age eligibility),
  • Any links to work or portfolio materials.

By December 2, 2025

• Aim to submit at least 2–3 days early.
• Treat December 5 as an emergency backup, not your actual deadline.
• Technical problems happen; wifi goes down; portals misbehave. Don’t gamble with a date you’ve known for months.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

The exact fields may vary in the application portal, but you can expect to need:

1. Personal Details

• Full legal name
• Contact information
• Country of residence and nationality
• Date of birth (to confirm you’re born on or after 26 June 1995)

Tip: Make sure your name matches your ID/passport – you’ll be traveling if you’re selected.

2. Professional Background

• Job title and employer
• Summary of your role
• Years of experience in relevant roles (must hit 2+ years)

Tip: Highlight responsibilities that show ownership – budgets, creative decisions, strategy, leadership, or key deliverables.

3. Academy Selection

• Indicate whether you’re applying for:
  • Creative Academy, or
  • Brand Marketers Academy

Tip: Don’t overthink this. Choose the one that matches what you do most days.

4. Motivational / Essay Questions

Expect questions like:

• Why do you want to attend the LIONS Academy?
• How will this scholarship impact your career?
• What perspective do you bring that’s underrepresented?

Tip: Answer each question separately and clearly. Don’t paste one generic answer into multiple boxes.

5. Proof of Eligibility

You may be asked to provide or later show:

• Proof of age (ID, passport, or similar)
• Evidence of work experience (CV, portfolio, LinkedIn, or employer references)

Have these ready so you’re not scrambling if they request them quickly.

What Makes an Application Stand Out to the Jury

Imagine you’re a creative director reading your 50th application. What makes you stop and think, “This person needs to be in the room”?

1. Clear Creative or Strategic Curiosity

You’re not just doing tasks. You’re thinking deeply about:

• Why audiences behave the way they do
• What makes ideas spread
• How brands can be more meaningful or useful

If you can articulate the questions that keep you up at night, you’ll stand out.

2. Evidence of Asymmetric Impact

Jurors know not everyone has giant budgets.

They’re impressed when people have:

• Achieved strong results with small resources
• Punched above their weight in local markets
• Pioneered new formats or approaches where they live

Show where you’ve made something bigger than your circumstances would suggest.

3. A Distinct Voice

They’re not hiring a robot; they’re choosing collaborators for an intense learning experience.

Applications that shine usually:

• Have a recognizable tone (confident, curious, thoughtful, even funny where appropriate)
• Avoid clichés (“I’ve always been passionate about…”)
• Share opinions – carefully, but clearly

4. Growth Mindset Without Self-Flagellation

You want to improve. You know you’re not done learning. But you’re not writing an apology letter for existing.

Balance:

• Confidence in what you already do well
  with
• Humility about where you want to grow.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

You can be talented and still get knocked out early because of easily avoided errors.

1. Being Vague About Your Role

“Worked on a campaign” tells the jury nothing.

Fix it by being specific:

• What exactly did you do?
• What decisions did you make?
• What did you learn from it?

2. Copy-Pasting Your CV into Answer Boxes

This isn’t a resume upload. It’s a narrative.

• Your CV is the skeleton.
• Your application answers are the muscle and heart.

Use the space to explain why your experience matters, not just what it is.

3. Overly Dramatic Sob Stories

Context matters. Hardship is real, and it can absolutely be relevant.

But if your application is 95% tragedy, 5% actual professional work, jurors can’t gauge your potential clearly.

Talk about challenges in a way that:

• Shows your resilience,
• Connects to how you think and work today.

4. Ignoring the English Requirement

The academies run in English. You don’t need to sound like a native speaker, but you do need to:

• Understand fast conversation and presentations,
• Participate fully in discussions.

If you’re shaky, you have time before June 2026 to improve – but your writing now should show you can handle an English-only environment.

5. Last-Minute Submissions with Obvious Typos

Typos happen. But messy, rushed writing signals a lack of respect for the opportunity.

Have at least one other person proofread your answers. Someone who loves you enough to say, “This part doesn’t make sense.”

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this only for applicants from Africa?

No. The tagging might highlight Africa, and they clearly care about geographic diversity, but the scholarship is global.

If you’re in Africa, you should absolutely consider this a priority opportunity. But applicants from other regions are also eligible.

2. Do I need agency experience for the Creative Academy?

Not necessarily.

You could be:

• In-house at a brand,
• Working at a small studio,
• Freelancing,
• In a media, content, or production role.

What matters is that you’re doing creative work (ideas, writing, design, content, experiences), not just administrative tasks.

3. I’m turning 30 in mid-2026. Am I eligible?

The rule is based on date of birth: you must be born on or after 26 June 1995.

If your birthday is:

• 26 June 1995 or later – you’re fine.
• 25 June 1995 or earlier – you’re not eligible.

Age is checked, and you’ll need proof.

4. How strict is the “two years’ experience” rule?

Take it seriously.

This doesn’t have to be two years in your current job, but in relevant roles overall.

If you’re close (e.g., 1 year 8 months), you can still apply, but make sure you can convincingly show depth of experience.

5. Will they cover all costs? What about visas?

The scholarship promises travel, accommodation, allowance, and a festival pass.

Visa-related details aren’t spelled out in the brief, but typically:

• You’ll be expected to handle your own visa application, with support letters if needed.
• Actual visa fees and processes may vary. Check once selected and coordinate closely with their team.

6. Can I apply if I’ve been to Cannes Lions before?

Unless they explicitly restrict repeat attendees (check the full guidelines when you apply), prior attendance doesn’t automatically disqualify you.

However, you should explain:

• Why you need this academy experience now,
• How it differs from what you’ve done before.

7. Will I get feedback if I’m not chosen?

The source doesn’t promise feedback. Assume you may not receive individual comments.

That’s another reason to treat this like a competitive award – make your first shot count.

How to Apply (Step-by-Step)

Ready to go all in on this?

1. Read this article again with a notebook handy.
   Jot down:

   • Your best projects,
   • Three reasons you’re a strong candidate,
   • Three ways this scholarship would change your career.

2. Visit the official application portal.
   Go here:
   Apply for the LIONS Scholarship 2026

3. Create or log into your account.
   Don’t wait until December – technical issues love deadlines.

4. Draft your answers offline first.
   Use a document where you can:

   • Edit,
   • Save versions,
   • Ask others for feedback.

5. Upload and review everything carefully.
   Before you hit submit:

   • Check spellings of names and companies,
   • Confirm your date of birth and experience,
   • Verify any links to your work open properly.

6. Submit at least a couple of days before December 5, 2025.
   Don’t do drama unless you’re submitting for the Film category. Get this in calmly and early.

Final Thought

Opportunities like the LIONS Scholarship 2026 are rare because they combine three things usually kept apart: money, access, and genuine interest in diverse voices.

If you’ve ever watched Cannes highlights on YouTube and thought, “People like me don’t get to go there,” this is your moment to test that assumption.

Put in the work. Treat this application like the most important brief of your year. Because for ten people, it will be.