National CineMedia Reveals 2025 U.S. Young Lions Finalists

Cinema advertising platform National CineMedia (NCM), the U.S. representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity's Young Lions competition, revealed this year's 25 finalist teams on Wednesday. NCM also revealed that Omnicom-owned media agency OMD USA has joined the U.S. Lions Community as the competition’s first Bold Impact sponsor. OMD has teamed up with the Ad Council to offer a secondary competitive brief focused on youth fentanyl awareness and a naloxone education campaign, providing another opportunity for young marketers to make their way to Cannes Lions. “This partnership with NCM, the Ad Council, and the U.S. Lions Community reflects OMD’s commitment to providing the next generation of talent with the opportunity to not only showcase their skills, but to do so in a way that reflects their documented desire for meaning and relevance in the work they do,” OMD USA CEO Chrissie Hanson said in a statement. “Our work with the Ad Council helps us achieve that goal, putting the resources of a major U.S. media agency behind the effort to educate families and young people about the fentanyl crisis.” NCM also said all U.S. Lions Community members—including new 2025 competition registrants, jurors, and sponsors—will gain access to exclusive webinars from Cannes Lions, Joan Creative, McKinney, Movers+Shakers, and StrawberryFrog. “The U.S. Lions Community serves as a platform for brands and agencies to get inspired, form connections with young talent, and cultivate the skills and knowledge of current and future marketers,” NCM chief marketing officer Amy Tunick said in a statement. “We are grateful to this year’s impressive lineup of content series hosts for nurturing the next generation of our industry.” The Young Lions competition invites creatives under the age of 30 to compete on a brief for a chance to attend the festival and face off against young creative talent from around the world. NCM noted that it received more entries for the Young Lions competition this year than in 2024. This year’s competitors solved a business and communication challenge for nonprofit WhyHunger, and one winning team of two people will receive roundtrip airfare, accommodations, and Young Lions passes to this year’s Cannes Lions, to be held June 16 through 20. The finalists are listed below. Digital: Megan Teshima, Jessie Kwan; Whalar Kaity Butcher, Maria Pia Rodriguez; Microsoft Grace Carbonari, Emily Rawson; Mindshare Alexandra Jones, Eunie Jang; Amazon Brand Innovation Labs Roberto Del Real Jr, Alex Lofaro; BarkleyOKRP Film: Andrew Rhee; Google, Dillon Hansen; McCann Dan Persaud, Edwin Aristilde; Havas Julia Merten; Wieden+Kennedy, John Johnson Jr.; Movers+Shakers Palak Kapadia; Amazon Brand Innovation Labs, Catarina Barcala Gosende; MullenLowe Davey Robinson, Graham Barbour Media: Ebin Joby, Stella Tse; Initiative Morgan McAlister, Dana Nathanson; Initiative Allison Wolf, Casey Wolk; Mindshare Arleigh Haskal, Lydia Pamudji; Havas Media Alex Northcutt, Kyla Alberto; Initiative Public Relations: Jenny Yoo, Lauren Brook; Weber Shandwick Chris Gutierrez, Josephine Cheng; FleishmanHillard Casey Medlin, Samatha Amo; FleishmanHillard Lauryn King, June Hernandez; Weber Shandwick Ariana Catalano, Madeline Neubert; Methods+Mastery Print: Ryan Kane, Alex Bohner; VML Julia Sanbe, Gianna Centurion; Gut Ellen Brown, Hannah Lewis; TracyLocke Hailey Skinner, Kendelle Cragun; Crispin Anna Kennedy, Dhairyata Jain; Weber Shandwick “As a Young Lions juror, I’m blown away by the bold, innovative ideas tackling this year’s brief—custom applications, user experience revamps, and edgy strategies that tap into how Gen Z, millennials, and female audiences engage with brands and respond to charitable calls,” T-Mobile director of media Jessica Doolittle said in a statement. “The next generation of talent is reimagining how we engage users in impactful ways. From gamified donation experiences to seamless user flows, these Young Lions are driving our industry into the next era and elevating how we connect with audiences.” Estée Lauder executive director of global marketing innovation Sharalyn Orr added, “In a world that feels increasingly uncertain, sometimes particularly for marketers, nothing has renewed my hope for the future like reviewing the work of the Young Lions. The passion, talent, and ingenuity of these young creatives is a vivid reminder—our collective future is indeed bright.”

Cannes Lions

National CineMedia Reveals 2025 U.S. Young Lions Finalists

The winning team of up-and-coming creatives will attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June

David Cohen

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