Cannes Lions tightens rules with new ‘integrity standards’

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has introduced new integrity standards and measures for its awards, following this year’s controversy where a number of Lion-winning campaigns were withdrawn due to manipulation, synthetic media, and the use of AI.

Following a “thorough review”, an evolved framework will be introduced from 2026 onwards, with a renewed model of “accountability, rigour, and trust”.

It follows an incident at Cannes Lions 2025, where three winning campaigns from DM9 were withdrawn. Its Creative Data Grand Prix winning work for Consul was found to have been AI-manipulated (see below).

LePub São Paulo was also under investigation for presenting misleading and unverified results, as well as lacking client approval. Per Adweek, the agency has taken disciplinary action against the employees responsible.

Cannes Lions said these withdrawals were “necessary” and it will double down on safeguarding moving forward.

CEO of Lions, Simon Cook, said the industry is “changing at lightning speed”, and the awards is simply “adapting at pace to meet this”.

“At the heart of the Lions is creativity that drives growth,” he said in a release.

“These renewed standards reflect our responsibility to both provide a platform for, and protect the value of creativity, and reinforce that creative excellence should be synonymous with creative integrity.”

The new framework is made up of five integrity standards: ownership and authorship; veracity of claims; consequence of misrepresentation; due process and independent oversight; and transparency in governance.

Ownership and authorship

Every submission made must now be approved by the business leader of the agency, and a senior marketer clientside. These declarations will confirm that all submissions — including the case study video, data, and claims — are factually accurate, responsibly sourced, and representative of real world outcomes.

Veracity of claims

Through a new duel-layer verification system, Cannes Lions will now analyse and interrogate the claims made in each submission. According to the release, this marks the first time a “human + AI hybrid infrastructure” has been institutionalised to bolster existing measures.

Juries will also have access to an objective and independent data and measurement expert at their request, should they need further technical support, particularly for claims across creative and media impact, campaign effectiveness, and data interpretation.

Under this standard, there will also be an AI integrity handbook, that will “set a global standard” for awards. Informed by OECD AI Principles, Partnership on AI — Synthetic Media Guidelines, and the UNESCO AI Ethics Recommendation, the handbook will outline what is acceptable, what must be disclosed, and what constitutes a breach.

Consequence of misrepresentation

Companies found to have wilfully submitted false or misleading work may be banned from participating in Cannes Lions for up to three years. Jury eligibility may also be revoked. According to the release, all sanctions will be determined through an independent review process.

Through this standard, Cannes Lions also doubled down on its right to disqualify or withdraw any awards at any stage of submission, judging, or post-win if material misrepresentation is found.

Due process and independent oversight

All cases that are escalated will be reviewed by a newly established integrity council, made up of “legal, ethical and neutral industry experts”. Entrants will be given the right to respond and appeal within a “reasonable” timeframe.

Transparency in governance

Cannes Lions will introduce an annual creative benchmark integrity audit, which it will publish to ensure transparency.

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