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Events

Events

The advertising industry has its own festivals, awards and conferences. That is where work is compared, professionals share experience and young talent tries its hand. For viewers, these events are interesting because they help show which ideas the industry considers successful. This section covers the types of industry events, a brief history of the festival now known as Cannes Lions, and tips on how to verify an award.

The phrase "the video won an award" means nothing until it is clear which festival, which category and which year.

— From the editors

How this section works: we describe the types of events and how they work in general terms, and we do not publish winner lists, rankings or dated announcements. Check event schedules and rules on the organisers' websites.

Types of industry events

Four kinds of events most often associated with mentions of awards and talks.

Festivals

Large showcases of work where entries are sorted into categories and a jury selects the shortlist and winners. Usually accompanied by a programme of talks.

Conferences

Events focused on talks, panel discussions and sharing experience. Awards are not always presented, and when they are, they are more of an add-on to the programme.

Awards

Competitions with their own rules and categories, sometimes narrow — limited to one industry, region or format. An award's significance depends on its transparency and track record.

Legacy address: awards page (in Russian)

Schools and young talent competitions

Educational programmes and competitions for students and early-career professionals, often with a brief set by the organisers and an age limit for entrants.

How advertising festivals work

The festival now known as Cannes Lions was founded in 1954. At the time it was called the International Advertising Film Festival and was modelled on the Cannes Film Festival; the first edition was held in Venice.

Most major festivals are organised in a similar way. Work is entered into categories — by medium, format or objective. A jury of professionals selects a shortlist and, from it, the award-winning work. Categories change over time as the industry evolves: for example, the Cyber Lions category for digital work existed from the late 1990s and was discontinued in 2017 when the categories were restructured.

That is why, when you come across a mention of an award, it is important to know not only the name of the festival but also the year and the category: the same category may have been named and judged differently in different years.

How to check whether an award existed

  • Find the official website of the festival or award and its archive of work and winners
  • Pin down the year and the category: without them, verification is almost impossible
  • Distinguish a shortlist place from an award — they are different levels of recognition
  • Compare the name of the work and those involved with the published credits
  • If the information appears only in an entrant's press release, look for confirmation from the organiser
  • If the archive is unavailable, honestly treat the award as unconfirmed
  • Legacy address: awards page (in Russian)

    What used to be at the legacy awards page address and how to verify a campaign's award yourself.

  • History

    A timeline from the first paid film screenings of 1895 to video platforms and viral videos.

  • People and credits

    The roles behind an advertising video and how to read a campaign's credits.

Sources

  • Cannes Lions — official festival history
  • Encyclopedic sources on media history

Historical information is based on publicly available official and encyclopedic sources. Festival rules, categories and entry conditions change — check them on the organisers' official websites.