Cannes Lions, the most prestigious festival of the advertising industry, takes place on the French Riviera, and this year it revolves entirely around creators. Creators, brands and investors have come from all over the world, and for five days Europe is the main stage of the global creator economy. We are following the festival and will continue through the coming days.
Right at the start, the festival placed creators in their own competition category and on their own beach. It runs from 22 to 26 June, and the Social & Creator Lions are awarded as a separate category, whose winners will be announced on the third day.
A category and a beach of their own for creators
On the Palais Beach, the third edition of the LIONS Creators programme, run with Adobe, is taking place, with its own stage under the banner “The business of influence”. Adobe builds its programme around creators as a professional class.
Stacy Martinet, Adobe’s Chief Content and Creative Officer, speaks of a commitment to “empowering the next generation with the tools and opportunities to turn ambition into impact”. The accompanying Adobe Creators Toolkit Report states that 75% of surveyed creators describe creative AI as integrated into or essential to their work.
The programme mixes networking with content and relies on names that pull their own audiences. On stage are Mel Robbins (Host, The Mel Robbins Podcast), Dhar Mann (Founder, Dhar Mann Studios), Max Klymenko (Creator and Founder, KLYM&CO), Hannah Stocking and Grace Wells (Commercial Creator and Founder, PFStudio).
The strongest moment of the second day follows the same logic. Oprah Winfrey will appear on the Lumière Theatre stage on Tuesday 23 June, and that same evening she will receive the LionHeart award. “Oprah Winfrey’s influence extends far beyond media. She has consistently used her platform to elevate others, challenge perspectives and inspire change,” said Philip Thomas, Chair of LIONS.
Advertising infrastructure turns to creators
Festival announcements also reach into advertising infrastructure. PubMatic presented its Creator Marketplace at the festival, a programmatic marketplace meant to connect businesses built around creators with advertiser demand and automated ad buying. The company describes it as a bridge between the creator economy and traditional advertising processes, and points to the growing role of connected TV as a space for creator content.
Platforms have also stepped up their physical presence. YouTube opened a Creator Club, a dedicated space where creators are meant to be “brand-deal ready”. TikTok brought in creators such as Tineke Younger, Morgan Jay and Katie Fang and took over the garden of the Carlton hotel.
Trust is the theme of the festival
The theme of trust, on which the creator economy rests, also runs through the festival. The value of creators for brands lies not in reach but in the trust of their audience. The session Discovery vs Belief, with Richard Edelman, draws on the Edelman Brand Trust Report and asks where brand strength lies today, between the algorithms that govern visibility and the relationship that gives meaning. Speakers include Dan Roth from LinkedIn, Jim Squires from Reddit and Tati Lindenberg from Unilever.
“This year really feels like creators truly have a seat at the table,” said Jenny Penich, President of North America and Global CMO of the agency Influencer.
A narrower edition after tighter rules
The shift comes in a year when the festival shrank. It received 20,050 entries, compared with 26,900 in 2025, a quarter fewer, after new and stricter integrity rules were introduced. LIONS CEO Simon Cook said the stricter standards are “not designed to restrict creativity, but to fortify it”.
The Social & Creator Lions are judged globally, with an eligibility period from 6 February 2025 to 9 April 2026, so European creator campaigns compete in the same field as American ones. In a narrower edition, creators thus get their own category and their own beach.
The second report from the festival is already out. Creators receive their first Lions in it, and Google and Forbes are building them a support base.
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