Cannes Lions reduces jury numbers for 2017

A shortlist jury will now complete the first phase of the voting process for the Promo & Activation, Media and Direct Lions in the weeks before the Festival. The jury members will be selected using the same process and criteria as the awarding juries and held to the same rigorous standards of neutrality and fairness. Jury panel sizes will also be reduced across the Film, Radio, Print & Publishing, Outdoor, Digital Craft, Creative Effectiveness and Mobile categories.

“Protecting the integrity of the Lions is down to getting the right people in the judging room,” said Jose Papa, MD of Cannes Lions. “Some juries have been much larger than others in the past because of the number of entries they have to judge, but it is the titanium jury, of ten extremely well-qualified people, that is the gold standard. After extensive consultation with previous jurors and the wider industry, we have concluded that we can reduce the number of jury members, while still allowing them plenty of time to judge the work.”

Titanium jury president in 2016, John Hegarty, founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, commented, “I would rather be judged by fewer jurors who are more focused, more responsible and better qualified. Collective responsibility and the quality of discussion are lost if you have too many judges. Size is no guarantee of strength.”

Philip Thomas, chief executive of Cannes Lions, added, “The standard of judging and quality of our juries is one of the major factors that contributes to the longstanding value of Cannes Lions. Upholding the value of the Lion is paramount.”

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity takes place from 17-24 June 2017 in Cannes, France.