Catherine Nathasya, a copywriter at Dentsu Creative Indonesia, has been selected as one of the ten recipients of the 2026 Lions Scholarship, a scholarship that will send her to the Cannes Lions Creative Academy this coming June and makes her the only participant from Indonesia this year.
The numbers behind this selection process explain why the name is fitting. This year, there were over 400 applicants from 67 countries for all scholarship programs. From that pool, a panel of over 40 creative and marketing leaders narrowed the list down to ten names—five for the Creative Academy and five for the Brand Marketers Academy. The effective acceptance rate was around two percent.
What is required of each applicant is not just a portfolio. The Lions Scholarship application requires candidates to write a 250-word response to a question about what creativity means to them, record a two-minute video in English explaining who they are and why they deserve a spot in the program, and submit a 250-word recommendation letter from a supervisor, company talent officer, senior executive, or Lions Academy alumnus. All three components are evaluated by the jury during the shortlisting phase before the final list of recipients is determined.
Catherine joined through the Creative Academy, a track designed for the agency and production sectors. The other four participants in the same program came from Nigeria, India, the Philippines, and Brazil. In the Brand Marketers Academy track, which ran concurrently during the festival week, the spots went to representatives from Mexico, Peru, the United States, Vietnam, and Singapore. The composition is interesting to note, with four of this year’s ten spots filled by Southeast Asian talent—a figure that’s quite a source of pride for SEAblings.
This year’s jury includes Brigid Alkema from Clemenger BBDO New Zealand, Emir Shafri from Publicis Groupe Malaysia, Mariko Fukuoka from Dentsu Inc. Japan, Jess Greenwood from Apple, and Kenya Hunt from ELLE UK. According to Cannes Lions, the diversity of the markets they represent ensures that the selection process is not biased toward the tastes of any particular region.
The significance for Indonesia’s creative industry
Successfully making it through this kind of selection process is worth more than just a personal achievement. Programs like the Lions Scholarship are one of the few avenues that bring young copywriters and art directors together with their global peers for five full days, working under the guidance of senior practitioners and exchanging insights that rarely make it beyond Jakarta. The network formed during that week often determines the direction a person’s creative career takes in the years to come.
In a statement released by Dentsu Creative Indonesia, Catherine said, “It takes a little naivety to believe that the impossible is still worth pursuing. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside the best people in this industry. It is my responsibility to give back to the world more than I have ever received.”
On her personal Instagram account, her tone is more personal. She shared that if her younger self—who was juggling a full-time job with college at the time—had been told she’d be awarded this scholarship, she never would have believed it. “And I’d tell her, that’s just how amazing our God is,” she wrote, before closing with words of gratitude and excitement to meet new peers on the world’s biggest stage for creativity.
The festival will take place June 22–26 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, featuring a five-day academic program comprising masterclasses, coaching sessions, and workshops led by senior industry professionals. Catherine will be there to share her on-the-ground experience from a market that is often mentioned but rarely discussed at the Cannes table, and that in itself is a unique contribution she brings to the global stage.
