The 2024 Young Lions Canadian Competition Announces the Creative Categories Shortlisted Teams

The Globe and Mail, the Official Festival Representative in Canada for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is pleased to announce the shortlisted teams for the 2024 Canadian Young Lions Competition.

Modelled after the Cannes Global Young Lions Competition, entrants received a brief and had to complete the challenge for their respective category within a 24-hour or 48-hour period. Each year the competition jury chairs select a non-profit organization as the subject of the competition briefs. This year the charity was, Second Harvest and the primary goal of each brief was to drive awareness and persuade people to fight/prevent food waste.

Second Harvest, founded in April 1985 in Toronto, started by collecting surplus food from local eateries and distributing it across the city. Today, it’s Canada’s largest food rescue organization, renowned globally for its work on perishable food redistribution. Operating at the intersection of hunger relief and environmental protection, Second Harvest addresses food loss and waste through redistribution, research, and education. 

By collaborating with thousands of food businesses and leveraging logistics and technology, Second Harvest diverts edible food from going to waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This surplus food is redirected to charities and non-profits across the country, providing essential nourishment to millions of Canadians in need.

The creative categories, Print, Film and Digital, were judged by two separate juries, each comprised of 16 industry leaders spanning various backgrounds within the advertising and creative sectors, led by returning jury chair and member of the Canadian Cannes Lions Advisory Board, Mary Maddever (Brunico Communications).

Print Category

Competitors in Print were given 24 hours to develop a print ad to drive awareness and persuade people to fight/prevent food waste.

In no particular order, the semi-finalists in the Print category are:

• DINING ON A DYING PLANT
  • Shalyse Mackay, Copywriter, Public Inc.
  • Ayaan Abdulle, Project Coordinator, Public Inc.
• THE WASTE(LESS) BAG
• Brigitte Pinsonneault, Copywriter, Rethink
• Elizabeth Maheux, Art Director, Rethink
• LEMON.
• • Jordan Bloom, Junior Art Director, john st.
  • Benjamin Nusca, Art Director, john st.
• WASTED HARVEST
  • Sophia Storti, Copywriter, ZGM Modern Marketing Partners
  • Brooke Langmaid, Art Director, ZGM Modern Marketing Partners

Film Category

Competitors in Film were given 48 hours to develop a 60-second commercial to drive awareness and persuade people to fight/prevent food waste.  

In no particular order, the semi-finalists in the Film category are:

• WHAT A WASTE
  • Mark Flanjak, Integrated Producer, Public Inc.
  • Dylan Pun, Freelance Director, Public Inc.
• BREAK THIS RULE
  • Charles Côté, Copywriter, Rethink
  • Charles-Antoine Thériault, Freelance Director, Rethink
• THE URGENT DELIVERY
  • Alexandre Pepin, Copywriter, lg2
  • Nicolas Robert, Executive Producer and Partner, Carton Rouge

Digital Category

Competitors in Digital were given 24 hours to develop a digital campaign that drives awareness and persuade people to fight/prevent food waste.

In no particular order, the semi-finalists in the Digital category are:

• EXPIRY DATES
  • Kimberly Monitto, Copywriter, T&Pm
  • Laura Baldesarra, Intermediate Designer, T&Pm
• SPLIT FOR DIFFERENCE
  • Sammy Lo, Art Director, Courage Inc.
  • Emma Lorenzi, Copywriter, Courage Inc.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the juries will deliberate and determine the Gold-winning teams, as well as silver and bronze placing teams (in Film and Print), which will be revealed live on April 24th, at the CMDC Media Summit at the Design Exchange in Toronto.  

In addition to being crowned as Canada’s best, Gold winning teams also win a trip to Cannes, France, to attend the five-day Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from June 17 to 21, 2024, the largest gathering in the creative marketing community, where they will represent Canada in the Global Young Lions Competition, taking place during the festival week.

As the Official Canadian Representative for Cannes Lions and the Young Lions Competition Sponsor, The Globe and Mail awards a prize per Gold-winning team, which includes registration fees for the Global Young Lions Competition, delegate passes to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, flights and accommodation. 

This year’s competition saw an increase of almost 10% in registrations, with 746 people signing up to compete, making up 371 competing teams across the five categories: Digital, Film, Print, Media, and Marketers – 37 teams for Marketers,180 teams for Media, 70 teams for Print, 15 teams for Film, and 69 teams for Digital.

To view the profiles of this year’s competition jurors please visit, the competition jury page.

 For complete eligibility criteria and competition guidelines, refer to the Official Rules and Regulations.