Outdoor Lions
The Outdoor Lions celebrate creativity experienced out of home.
On this page
Introduction
The history of the Outdoor Lions
First introduced in 2006, the Outdoor Lions celebrate excellence in outdoor advertising, recognising creative work that engages audiences through billboards, posters, transit ads, and other forms of out-of-home media.
Over the years, as the media landscape evolved, so too did the Outdoor Lions, embracing not only traditional static formats but also digital, interactive, and experiential outdoor advertising. It has consistently highlighted the importance of creativity and craftsmanship in capturing attention in public spaces, where advertising must compete for visibility and impact.
Today, the Outdoor Lions continue to reward groundbreaking ideas that push the boundaries of outdoor advertising, whether through the use of new technologies, integrated campaigns or clever, disruptive messaging that resonates with audiences in meaningful ways.
What kind of work can be entered?
A wide range of outdoor advertising formats that engage audiences in innovative and impactful ways.
These may include but are not limited to static and digital billboards, print posters, and interactive screens that capture attention with visually striking designs and dynamic content. Animated screens and dynamic displays that offer the opportunity for more fluid, real-time messaging, pop-up shops and adaptations of outdoor spaces which transform physical environments into branded experiences.
Street furniture and large-scale signage, such as banners and murals, integrate seamlessly into the urban landscape, turning everyday structures into powerful advertising touchpoints. Live advertising and events further immerse consumers, creating memorable, real-world interactions.
What’s the Jury looking for?
Ideas that engage in the field.
Work that demonstrates exceptional creativity, innovation, and effectiveness in engaging audiences through outdoor advertising, standing out in crowded public spaces and using the medium in unique and impactful ways.
The work should show how it has made the most of the outdoor environment, transforming public spaces into memorable brand experiences.
The Categories
A. Billboards: Sectors
Classic two-dimensional sheet and static digital billboards made for standard billboard spaces. This may include, but is not limited to, roadsides, highways and transit sides.
All fast-moving and durable consumer goods, including but not limited to food and beverages, toiletries, cleaning products, other household goods, other FMCGs, clothing and accessories, furniture, and consumer electronics.
All fast-food entries should be entered into A04. Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains.
Pharma, OTC drugs, wellness.
If the work has been created for a Charity/NFP then this should be entered into A07.
Vehicles, other automobiles.
All transport- and travel-related services, including public transport and tourism boards. All entertainment- and leisure-related services, including museums, festivals and gyms. All shops, including online retailers, opticians, hairdressers and estate agents. All restaurants and fast food chains, including cafés and bars.
Music, film, television, publications and media, books, news, digital platforms and other media.
All commercial public services, legal, financial, B2B technology, consultancies and professional services, other business services, internal and corporate communications.
Government, public information, NGOs, military, charities, nonprofit organisations.
All corporate social responsibility work should be entered in the relevant sector and/or E07. Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility category in section E. Culture & Context.
B. Posters: Sectors
Classic sheet and static digital posters made for public spaces. e.g. supermarkets, shopping malls, airports.
All fast-moving and durable consumer goods, including but not limited to food and beverages, toiletries, cleaning products, other household goods, other FMCGs, clothing and accessories, furniture, and consumer electronics.
All fast-food entries should be entered into B04. Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains.
Pharma, OTC drugs, wellness.
If the work has been created for a Charity/NFP then this should be entered into B07.
Vehicles, other automobiles.
All transport- and travel-related services, including public transport and tourism boards. All entertainment- and leisure-related services, including museums, festivals and gyms. All shops, including online retailers, opticians, hairdressers and estate agents. All restaurants and fast food chains, including cafés and bars.
Music, film, television, publications and media, books, news, digital platforms and other media.
All commercial public services, legal, financial, B2B technology, consultancies and professional services, other business services, internal and corporate communications.
Government, public information, NGOs, military, charities, nonprofit organisations.
All corporate social responsibility work should be entered in the relevant sector and/or E07. Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility category in section E. Culture & Context.
C. Ambient & Experiential
All standard, non-standard and free-format out-of-home work that leverages the use of public spaces, objects and environments. For static digital billboards/posters please enter A. Billboards: Sectors or B. Posters: Sectors.
Content on display including objects and promotional artwork designed to make a significant brand impact within the out of home environment. Work may be viewable in public spaces including exhibitions, installations and in-store displays.
Digital out of home (DOOH) that requires either linear motion picture/content or animation or interaction and active consumer engagement using digital touchscreens, motion technology, social media and mobile animation.
Physical constructions and adaptations of out-of-home sites such as building exteriors, street furniture, large-scale signage and the environment. This may include, but is not limited to, supersize sites, pop-up shops, 3D/non-standard shaped sites, ticket barriers and floor media.
Out-of-home activations that involve something live and are witnessed by an audience in real-time. The work may include live performances, demonstrations, branded concerts and promotional events.
Out-of-home activations that involve consumers. The work may include experiential marketing, AR, MR, consumer and audience participation, physical interaction and interactive games.
Non-standard or free-format advertising using vehicles or transit sites/locations. The work may include the use of cars, trains, buses, taxis, trucks, aeroplanes, etc. or of nonstandard transit and commuter advertising sites such as car parks, airports, bus and train stations, ferry ports, roads and driving tracks.
Immersive large- or small-scale experiences that surround and engage consumers within an out-of-home environment. This may include but is not limited to immersive storytelling, experiential marketing, use of mobile, VR/AR, virtual worlds, installations and multiscreen and multidimensional experiences. Does not include prototypes of early-stage technology.
D. Innovation in Outdoor
The creative and/or innovative use of an out-of-home medium to communicate the brand’s message.
Work created for standard out-of-home sites that pushes boundaries or broadens the scope of traditional out-of-home mediums such as billboards, posters, transit advertising, commuter rail, wallscapes, displays or street advertising.
If you're submitting more than one execution please upload all executions in a single digital presentation image.
Work created for nonstandard, ambient out-of-home sites that leverage public spaces, objects and environments and are forward-thinking in their innovation.
Innovative use of technology to create out-of-home experiences. This could include, but not be limited to, the use of mobile with a strong out-of-home touch point, holographic images, drones, augmented reality, computer-generated imagery, algorithms and artificial intelligence.
E. Culture & Context
Work that is brought to life through cultural insights and regional context.
If you're submitting more than one execution please upload all executions in a single digital presentation image.
Work for brands distributed solely within a specific locality. The work should resonate with a clearly defined, local target audience.
Brands that have creatively adapted their approach in response to competitor pressure by challenging the status quo to create game-changing work that uses progressive thinking and innovative creativity.
Work that aired or ran in a single country / region / market. The work should describe how the campaign was designed for the specific target market.
Work inspired by a specific audience or community, relying on identifiable social behaviour. The work should demonstrate how leveraging insights into consumer behaviour can create a powerful connection with a brand.
Work that celebrates the art of humour in branded communications, infusing wit, satire, and cleverness into campaigns that provide amusement and create memorable, laughter-inducing connections with audiences.
Creative use of modest budgets and/or resources in relation to the market and/or industry to create maximum impact. The work should demonstrate how fresh insight, smart spending and compelling strategic thinking solved a business problem despite limited resources.
Purpose-driven work/brand activism that addresses social, ethical and environmental issues. The work should demonstrate how the brand’s purpose has created value and affected communities by connecting customers to culture.
Brands that have creatively adapted their strategy in response to local / regional / global issues, embracing new ways of delivering their brand while showing consideration for the consumer.
Work that honours marketers who craft strategic solutions rooted in the lived experiences of culturally grounded communities. This approach reflects and translates the nuances of customs, behaviours, and traditions that shape foundational perspectives on identity (e.g. disability, gender, race, orientation, age). Such insights reveal how diverse audiences choose brands and media experiences, driving growth and impact.
Eligibility
Work will need to have been executed during the eligibility period of 8 February 2024 – 10 April 2025.
Is there a limit to how many times I can enter?
There is no overall limit to how many times the same piece of work can be entered into Outdoor as long as the categories chosen are relevant.
Exceptions:
- The same piece of work may only be entered once in ‘A. Billboards: Sectors’ and/or ‘B. Posters: Sectors’.
- In sections A and B, each execution constitutes one entry and all executions must have run within the eligibility period.
- In Sections C, D and E, multiple executions may be entered as one entry. However, all Outdoor executions must have run within the eligibility period.
THE MINEFIELDS HONEY PROJECT | MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, KERNEL | SAATCHI & SAATCHI UKRAINE, KYIV | BRONZE, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
Previous Winners
The Outdoor Jury can award two Grands Prix. One Grand Prix from Section A: Billboards or B: Posters and One Grand Prix from the remaining sections.
Adoptable. By Pedigree
Cannes Lions 2024 Grand Prix Colenso BBDO, Auckland / Pedigree / 2024
The Outdoor Jury can award two Grands Prix. One Grand Prix from Section A: Billboards or B: Posters and One Grand Prix from the remaining sections.
To increase adoption rates, pet food brand Pedigree created an AI-powered model that allowed any shelter dog to star in its out-of-home ads. Fifty per cent of the featured dogs were adopted in the first two weeks, and shelter sit visits increased 6✕.
ADOPTABLE. BY PEDIGREE | PEDIGREE | COLENSO BBDO, AUCKLAND | GRAND PRIX, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
Why the work won
The Outdoor Jury awarded this work the Grand Prix for its brand relevance and innovative use of artificial intelligence.
Jury President Marco Venturelli praised the work for demonstrating that AI and technology are not here to replace human creativity but to enhance it. He noted, "AI is used to do something that we simply could not have done without it," highlighting how the campaign utilised AI to create an outdoor experience that was truly unique.
The use of AI in this outdoor context allowed for dynamic, personalised interactions that captured the attention of passersby in a way traditional outdoor advertising could not. By integrating AI into large-scale outdoor displays or installations, the campaign turned public spaces into interactive, real-time experiences that resonated deeply with audiences.
ADOPTABLE. BY PEDIGREE | PEDIGREE | COLENSO BBDO, AUCKLAND | GRAND PRIX, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
Find Your Summer
Cannes Lions 2024 Grand Prix LOLA MullenLowe, Madrid / Magnum / 2024
To increase sales during the winter months, Magnum created digital billboards that guided people towards the closest sunny spot. It helped Magnum achieve its best January sales in history, with a 38.9% value sales uplift.
YOUR SUMMER: STAIRS | MAGNUM | LOLA MULLENLOWE, MADRID | GRAND PRIX CAMPAIGN, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
Why the work won
The Outdoor Jury awarded this work the Grand Prix for its elegant craftsmanship, enhanced by its clever use of data and technology. Jury President Marco Venturelli said: “This shows how a beautifully crafted picture and perfectly formulated wording can still make us crazy jealous.”
FIND YOUR SUMMER: CORNER | MAGNUM | LOLA MULLENLOWE, MADRID | GRAND PRIX CAMPAIGN, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
FIND YOUR SUMMER: DOORSTEP | MAGNUM | LOLA MULLENLOWE, MADRID | GRAND PRIX CAMPAIGN, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
Inside the Jury Room: Outdoor Lions
To hear more from the Jury and how they decided on the winning work, check out the video below.
Entries & Judging
What are the judging criteria?
The main criteria considered during judging will be the idea, the execution and the impact.
What do I need to provide with my entry?
To enter, you’ll need to complete an online entry form, which can be found on the Cannes Lions entry site. In the ‘Written Explanation’ section, you’ll be asked to provide the Jury with everything they need to know about your work.
You’ll also be able to submit optional supporting materials to provide additional context with your entry.
All case films, films, demo films and original content must be subtitled in English.
Detailed information outlining the entry process can be found on A Guide to the Cannes Lions Awards.
What if I don’t have all the details right away?
Don’t worry – you can fill in the form in any order and save your progress at any time while it’s still in the pending stage. However, please only check out when your entry is 100% complete as no changes can be made to your entry once you’ve clicked “Submit” and “Checkout”.
The Written Submission
Here’s the questions you’ll be asked regarding your work.
To start your entry to the Outdoor Lions, go to our Awards page.
The Jury will refer to the written explanation you provide throughout the judging process. Our advice is to provide as much relevant detail as possible.
When answering the following questions keep the main element you’re trying to celebrate in mind (e.g. the storytelling, the strategy, the craft, the use of data).
The bullet points under each question are prompts designed to guide your thinking, based on the factors the jury will be considering when reviewing your work. You might not need to use them all, and that’s totally fine. They’re there to help you consider what’s most important in your work.
Questions
The word limit for this section is 100 words.
This question is compulsory.
Please provide any brand and cultural context that would help the Jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.
You should outline why this piece of work was created for this particular brand, in this market, at this particular moment in time, with all of the cultural and market conditions.
The word limit for this section is 250 words.
This question is compulsory.
Please select the objective(s) that were most important when creating this work – what the work set out to achieve.
For the jury to accurately assess the work, it must first establish its objectives. As you progress through the entry system, you must link your results back to each objective selected.
- Overachieve on brand metrics (e.g. awareness, engagement)
- Change consumer behaviour (e.g. attitudes, frequency, penetration)
- Create short-term sales growth (e.g. sales, promotions, discounts)
- Improve brand health (e.g. consideration, preference)
- Create sustained sales success (e.g. profit, sales)
- Create long-term brand and sales growth (e.g. shareholder value, retention, loyalty)
There is no word limit for this section.
This question is compulsory.
Please provide a summary of your entry.
- describe the background and context behind the work
- what creative challenges did the work face
This should be an overview of the work and an analysis of its effectiveness. You should describe how the objectives of the campaign have been successfully met.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
Please refer back to the objectives selected when answering this question. Consider:
- performance against brand metrics (e.g. awareness, engagement)
- change in consumer behaviour (e.g. attitudes, frequency, penetration)
- indications of short-, medium- or long-term sales success (e.g. shareholder value, profit, revenue, ROI, sales, share)
- brand health improvement (e.g. consideration, preference)
- potential changes in government regulations or societal/economic events (e.g. changes in economic, political, social factors)
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory.
- Yes
- No
This question is compulsory.
I would like the Jury to see this response when judging this work (tick box)
Please outline how this piece of work has aligned with the brand’s sustainability strategy. This could involve either operational measures to reduce the impact on the environment, and consumer strategies to encourage positive behaviour change, or both.
Please provide details of the benchmarks used for measuring the success of this piece of work’s contribution to the overall strategy. This could include, but is not limited to, targets around advertising business operations - advertising production - media planning and buying.
This question is optional.
I would like the Jury to see this response when judging this work (tick box)
Based on the brief, what consideration was given to representation and diversity of the team(s) involved?
What consideration was given to accessibility in the work and what role did DEI thinking play throughout the development of the work?
This question is optional.
If there are additional results you wish to disclose to the Jury but prefer to keep confidential, please enter them below.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is optional.
Category Specific Questions
Translation
Provide a full English translation of any text.
There is no word limit for this section.
This question is compulsory for Section A.
Translation
Provide a full English translation of any text.
There is no word limit for this section.
This question is compulsory for Section B.
Write a short summary of the ambient work
Do not comment on the brief / challenges / success of the work...
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for Section C.
Tell the jury about the animated / interactive / dynamic component of the work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for C02.
Please outline the innovative elements of the work
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for Section D.
Please comment on how the brand resonated with a specific target audience in a single locality.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E01.
Please tell us how the work challenged or was different from the brand's competitors.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E02.
Please tell us how the work was designed/adapted for a single country / region / market.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E03.
Please tell us about the social behaviour that inspired the work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E04.
Please tell us about the humour insight that inspired the work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E05.
Budget Details
Please provide budget details that show how the campaign achieved breakthrough results on a limited budget. Consider:
- the overall budget
- the breakdown of costs
- how the campaign maximised reach vs expenditure
- the significant impact this adjustment had on the campaign's effectiveness.
We recommend providing as much context as possible to understand the budget spend. However, we understand that different cases will have different types of results.
*(Any confidential information should be entered in the confidential information field)
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E06.
Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work.
- Explain how the purpose is ingrained in the core values and mission of the brand’s DNA.
- Discuss the impact of these initiatives on communities, society or the environment.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E07.
Please tell us how market disruption inspired the work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E08.
Please tell us about the specific cultural insight that drove the nuanced engagement behind this work.
The word limit for this section is 150 words.
This question is compulsory for E09.
THE F***ING CAR | NETFLIX | MONKS, AMSTERDAM | SILVER, OUTDOOR LIONS | 2024
Contact us
Everything you need to know to enter
For more detailed information on how to use the entry site, craft a compelling submission or submit your work we have a whole range of resources.
From Entry Guides that give you a step-by-step overview of the entire process to the Entry Kits that provide all the detailed rules and requirements for each and every category.
We are here to help
As Awards Experts, we know the Lions inside out. We can help with:
- Sharing the updates to the Awards for 2025
- Offering best-practice advice on how to craft a compelling entry
- Discussing your work and relevant categories
- Scheduling regular catch-ups to answer any questions that arise throughout the entry process.
Whether you have a specific query or would like expert advice, get in touch today.
Email: awards@canneslions.com Helpline: +44 0 20 7046 1155