Over 900 applications for Aid is Working. Tell the World challenge

The highest number of entries came from the USA, China, UK, India, Canada, South Africa, Romania, Australia, Brazil, Kenya and Nigeria. The creative communications community contributed more than 30% of the entries; other participants included leading international development organisations and academic institutions.

"The response to this first communications challenge has been overwhelming in terms of the creativity and the vision of the entries it's prompted," said Philip Thomas, Cannes Lions CEO. "The participation from the creative communications industry has exceeded our expectations, testament to the spirit of our community to put to good use the power of creativity to solve a global problem."

Selection process in final stages

The selection process to identify the ten finalists has now reached its final stages. The selection committee is made up of the Cannes Chimera - winners of the 2011 Cannes Lions Grand Prix - as well as members of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's review board and a small group of experts. The ten finalists, due to be announced in November, will each receive $100,000 to develop their idea. They will also be invited to join the Cannes Chimera members at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation campus in Seattle, USA, where they will be mentored to hone their ideas, with a chance of winning up to $1,000,000 to put them into practice.

In order to build on the success of this first round of the challenge, the organisers today announced they would launch a follow-up call for submissions. Now live and running until 7 November, this call for ideas will present four specific submission categories for grant seekers.

These are:

• Ideas that can be implemented via mobile telecommunications
  
• Ideas involving new ways to communicate data on aid
  
• Ideas that engage young audiences
  
• Ideas that demonstrate the progress of aid

  "We had such a rich variety of entrants to our first communications challenge; we now want to go deeper into areas that have the potential to bring some exciting new approaches," said Tom Scott, Director, Global Brand and Innovation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

  "We hope this new challenge will ignite new ideas and unique responses from the global community and value the creativity people will bring to this topic. It's imperative that we communicate these life-changing stories to the world so we can help build greater international support for on-going investment that will continue to improve the lives of poor people."

  Open to everyone

  The communications challenge - Aid is Working. Tell the World (Part 2) - is open to everyone. The idea has to be submitted on two sides of A4 paper between now and 7 November. All ideas will be judged anonymously, solely on their merit. As with the first round, applicants will be eligible for US$100,000 seed funding, and the chance to win US$1,000,000 to bring ideas to fruition.

  The finalists of the newly launched communications challenge will be invited back to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2013 to present their idea to the rest of the global advertising and communications community and the difference it has made.

  The new Cannes Chimera Members, who will advise on the programme, review submissions, and mentor the winners as they develop their projects are:

  • Alexander Schill, worldwide chief creative officer and partner, Serviceplan Group, Munich
    Winner of the Design Grand Prix: 'The Solar Annual Report 2011', Austria Solar
    
  • Carlo Cavallone, creative director, Fabrica, Amsterdam and
    Winner of the Press Grand Prix: 'Unhate' Campaign, United Colors of Benetton
    
  • Drew Ungvarsky, owner and creative director, Grow Interactive, Norfolk USA
    Winner of the Mobile Grand Prix: 'Hilltop Reimagined for Coca-Cola', Google
    
  • Graham Fink, chief creative officer, Ogilvy, Shanghai
    Winner of an Outdoor Grand Prix: '#Cokehands', The Coca Cola Company
    
  • Jaime Rosado, vice president and regional creative director, JWT San Juan, Puerto Rico
    Winner of the PR Grand Prix: 'The Most Popular Song', Banco Popular de Puerto Rico
    
  • Jonathan Bottomley, head of strategy, BBH London
    Winner of the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix: 'Axe Excite - Returning to Universal Truths to Create Global Hits', Unilever
    
  • Jesse Coulter, co-chief creative officer, CAA Marketing, Los Angeles and Todd Hunter, creative executive, CAA Marketing, Los Angeles
    Winners of both the Film and Branded Content Grands Prix: 'Back to the Start / Cultivate Campaign', Chipotle
    
  • Joao Livi, executive creative director, Talent, São Paulo
    Winner of the Radio Grand Prix: 'Repellent Radio', Go Outside Magazine
    
  • Jonathan Fowles, executive director and head of strategy, Manning Gottlieb OMD, London
    Winner of the Media Grand Prix: 'Google Voice Search', Google
    
  • Nick Law, executive vice president and global chief creative officer, R/GA New York
    Winner of both a Cyber Grand Prix and the Titanium and Integrated Grand Prix: 'Nike+ Fuelband', Nike+
    
  • Patrick Kampmann, creative director, Volontaire, Stockholm
    Winner of a Cyber Grand Prix: 'Curators of Sweden', Swedish Institute/Visit Sweden
    
  • Rob Reilly, worldwide chief creative officer, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Boulder, USA and Angel Anderson, experience director, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Boulder, USA
    Winners of both the Direct and Promo & Activation Grands Prix: 'Small Business Gets an Official Day', American Express
    
  • Stephane Xiberras, chief creative officer, BETC Paris
    Winner of the Film Craft Grand Prix: 'Bear', Canal+
    
  • Ted Royer, executive creative director, Droga5, New York
    Winner of the Grand Prix for Good: 'Help I Want to Save a Life', Help Remedies
    
  • Thimoteus Wagner, chief creative officer, Jung von Matt, Hamburg
    Winner of an Outdoor Grand Prix: 'The Invisible Drive', Daimler
  Members of the first Cannes Chimera will remain part of the Cannes Chimera consultancy board, which will grow year on year.