Cannes Lions 2026 unveils the Industry Craft Lions shortlist, featuring 62 finalists celebrating excellence in typography, art direction, illustration, photography, copywriting and brand design

Cannes Lions 2026 has released the shortlist for the Industry Craft Lions category, one of the Festival’s key competitions for recognising the craft, technical precision, visual direction and creative execution that turn an idea into memorable work.

The Industry Craft Lions celebrate the creative artistry behind disciplines such as design, print, publishing and outdoor, focusing on the talent, skill and vision required to bring a beautifully executed solution to life with impact and distinction.

The 2026 Jury President for Industry Craft Lions is Rafael Gil, Chief Creative Officer at Artplan, Brazil. His leadership brings one of Brazil’s most respected creative voices to a category where artistic judgement, visual sensitivity and technical excellence define the standard.

The Industry Craft Lions 2026 shortlist includes 62 shortlisted entries, distributed across 14 subcategories spanning Typography, Art Direction, Illustration, Photography, Copywriting and Brand & Communications Design, with executions across outdoor, print, publishing, packaging and brand identity.

The selection confirms that craft remains one of the strongest differentiators in contemporary creativity. In an industry shaped by speed, automation and visual saturation, the shortlisted work proves that executional excellence can make an idea stand out, become memorable and gain cultural value.

Brazil leads the shortlist with 13 shortlisted entries, followed by Spain, France, Norway, Japan, Canada, the United States and other markets. Brazil’s strong presence is reflected in work such as “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai; “Brazilian Architecture Biennale” by BAB; “Amazônia Alive – Book” and “Amazônia Alive – Integrated” by Vale SA; “Dancebook Brasil” by Bradesco; and “Re-Commerce Atacama” by VTEX, Desierto Vestido and Fashion Revolution.

Among the most represented brands in the shortlist are IKEA, Musée de la Grande Guerre, Coca-Cola, BMW, Embratur and Rai, De’Longhi, Vale SA, Bradesco, Melanoma Fund, Dunkin’ at Home, Budweiser and Nikka Whisky. The range of advertisers confirms that Industry Craft Lions recognises global brands as well as cultural institutions, editorial projects, tourism destinations, social causes and local brands.

In Typography, shortlisted work includes “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai and “Brazilian Architecture Biennale” by BAB. These entries show how typography can become an expressive system capable of building identity, communicating place, reinforcing visual storytelling and elevating the graphic experience of a brand or institution.

In Art Direction: Outdoor: Ambient, the shortlist features “Sunburnt Car” by Mycar; “The Mosaic” by McDonald’s Italia; “Players Manholes” by Major League Baseball; and “Tiny Coffee Shops” by De’Longhi. This section confirms the power of art direction to intervene in real spaces, transform everyday objects and turn the urban environment into a creative medium.

Art Direction: Outdoor: Standard is one of the most represented areas of the shortlist, with entries including “Racing”, “Club” and “Vamos” by Coca-Cola; “Moving Landscapes Snow”, “Moving Landscapes Forest” and “Moving Landscapes Dehesa” by BMW; “Distress”, “Sorrow” and “Suffering” by Musée de la Grande Guerre; “Original” by Dunkin’ at Home; “Kiss” and “First Steps” by IKEA; and “1994 – USA” and “2002 – Korea” by Budweiser.

The presence of Coca-Cola, BMW, IKEA and Budweiser in Art Direction reinforces outdoor’s continued relevance as a canvas for visual craft. These works show that an outdoor execution can communicate with simplicity, graphic strength and immediate readability when art direction is sharp enough to condense the idea.

In Art Direction: Print & Publishing: Standard, shortlisted work includes “Hope”, “Mornings” and “Picky” by IKEA; “Amazônia Alive – Book” by Vale SA; “Original” by Dunkin’ at Home; “La Petite Rivelia – Paris” by De’Longhi; and “Dancebook Brasil” by Bradesco. This section confirms that print remains a high-craft territory when composition, design, photography and copy are precisely integrated.

Packaging Design includes “Glowing Relief” by Alivia Health and “Re-Commerce Atacama” by VTEX, Desierto Vestido and Fashion Revolution. Both entries reflect how craft applied to packaging can connect health, innovation, sustainability, materiality and user experience through tangible execution.

In Illustration, the shortlist includes “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai in Outdoor: Ambient and “Dear Difference” by Nikka Whisky in Adapted Print. Illustration appears as a tool for building visual worlds, cultural accents and narrative systems that expand a brand’s identity.

Photography is one of the strongest areas of the shortlist, with work such as “Moving Landscapes Dehesa” by BMW; “Hand” and “Carpet” by Magnum Ice Cream; “Willie Munro”, “Guy Jarvis” and “Caroline Gleich” by Melanoma Fund; “Silent Edition” by Jeep; “RooftopRevival_Jong-Ro-Gu_Ilmin-Museum” by Heineken; and “Fascinating” by Shenzhen Tourism Bureau, China.

In Photography: Print & Publishing: Standard, the shortlist again includes “Distress”, “Sorrow” and “Suffering” by Musée de la Grande Guerre; “Amazônia Alive – Integrated” by Vale SA; “Pedro” and “Maria” by Coca-Cola; and “Dancebook Brasil” by Bradesco. This section reinforces photography’s role as a tool for memory, emotion, product, advocacy and cultural construction.

Copywriting is represented by work such as “A.I. Irresponsibly” by Brewlander; “Terms and Conditions of Being a Girl” by Ville de Paris; “Outside, Your Comfort Zone.” by Kathmandu; “Hope”, “Mornings” and “Picky” by IKEA; and “The Missing Word Dictionary” by Visioning Beyond Violence, Youth Alive!. The selection confirms that language remains a craft discipline when it delivers precision, tone, tension and impact.

Brand & Communications Design includes “Craftman.Ships” by SHIPS; “Innocent Fighters” by The Ad Museum Tokyo; “The Grit & The Glitter” by London Museum; “Dear Difference” by Nikka Whisky; “Amazônia Alive – Integrated” by Vale SA; “Tiny Coffee Shops” by De’Longhi; “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai; and “Dancebook Brasil” by Bradesco. This section shows how craft can structure complete identity systems rather than isolated executions.

Mexico appears in the shortlist through multinational Coca-Cola work such as “Pedro” and “Maria”, developed with participation from VML Mexico City and production by Rebolucion Mexico. Their inclusion confirms the integration of Mexican talent in global projects where photography, visual direction, production and editorial craft play a central role.

The repeated presence of campaigns such as “Amazonia”, “Amazônia Alive”, “Dancebook Brasil”, “Dear Difference”, “Tiny Coffee Shops”, “Hope”, “Mornings”, “Picky”, “Moving Landscapes Dehesa”, “Distress”, “Sorrow” and “Suffering” highlights the strength of some of the year’s most complete craft ideas. These works compete across several subcategories because they connect craft, concept, medium, technique and execution.

Industry Craft Lions 2026 arrives at a decisive moment for the creative industry, as technology and accelerated production have increased the need for work with detail, intention and execution strong enough to withstand the scrutiny of juries, audiences and brands.

With this shortlist, Cannes Lions 2026 confirms that craft is not a decorative finish, but a strategic advantage. Excellence in typography, art direction, illustration, photography, copywriting and design can transform a simple idea into a piece with presence, clarity, emotion and permanence.

The Industry Craft Lions category proves that creativity needs craft to become unforgettable. The strongest shortlisted ideas do more than communicate: they are carefully built, designed, written, photographed and executed to raise the global standard of the industry.

Shortlist
Typography: Outdoor: Ambient

AMAZONIA

EMBRATUR AND RAI, FUTUREBRAND

Shortlist
Typography: Outdoor: Standard

BRAZILIAN ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE

BAB, ALMAPBBDO

Shortlist
Art Direction: Outdoor: Ambient

SUNBURNT CAR

MYCAR, TBWA\SYDNEY

Shortlist
Art Direction: Outdoor: Ambient

THE MOSAIC

MCDONALD’S ITALIA, LEO

Shortlist
Art Direction: Outdoor: Ambient

PLAYERS MANHOLES

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, WIEDEN+KENNEDY

Shortlist
Art Direction: Outdoor: Ambient