Pakistan has secured a Silver medal in the Young Lions Digital Competition at Cannes Lions 2026, marking a significant achievement for the country’s creative and advertising industry on the global stage. The recognition came through Muhammad Osama Kalam and Tipu Sultan Ajmad Dawood, both Associate Creative Directors at Digitz Group, whose campaign titled Poke Your Nose Where It Matters was selected from among more than 400 young professionals who took part in this year’s competitions.
The Young Lions Competitions, sponsored by Adobe, challenge creative and communications professionals aged 30 and under across seven categories including Design, Digital, Film, Media, Marketers, Public Relations, and Print. Competitors work under strict time pressure to respond to a brief set by an NGO, charity, or company dedicated to a social cause, with all entries judged by members of the Cannes Lions juries during the festival. This year’s Digital brief was set by Comic Relief, which challenged teams to reimagine the Red Nose as a symbol of modern activism for a younger generation, transforming it into something audiences would want to use, share, and shape themselves rather than simply observe. The Pakistani duo’s Silver winning entry stood out among the digital submissions, placing them behind only a Chinese team from Havas Creative China that took the Gold award in the category.
Pakistan’s representation at Cannes Lions this year extended beyond the Young Lions Competitions, with advertising agency AdStreet documenting its presence at the festival alongside Pakistani industry figures including Ali Rez, Atiya Zaidi, Ahmed Kapadia, and Hasan Daudpota, who engaged with global companies and organisations such as Meta, TikTok, Canva, and Omnicom throughout the event. The Pakistani delegation’s presence at Cannes Lions reflects a broader effort by local advertising and marketing professionals to build connections with international networks and bring new perspectives back to the domestic creative industry. Wania Furqan and Rafay Yasir of EBM were also acknowledged for their representation of Pakistan at the festival this year.
The winning team’s journey to Cannes began through the Pakistan Young Lions Competition, organised by the Pakistan Advertisers Society in collaboration with Jang Media Group, the official representative of Cannes Lions in the country, and presented by Pakistan State Oil. The competition, now in its fifth edition, is designed to discover and recognise young talent in marketing and advertising by challenging participants in teams of two to develop creative solutions to a set brief, with winners going on to represent Pakistan at the international festival. Qamar Abbas and Afsheen Rizavi of the Pakistan Advertisers Society were credited alongside Pakistan State Oil for supporting the young talent that ultimately represented the country in France. Cannes Lions CEO Simon Cook congratulated all winners of this year’s Young Lions Competitions, describing the event as a celebration of the next generation of creative leaders shaping the future of the global communications industry.
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