Cannes Lions, Gates Foundation launch 2013 Cannes Chimera Initiative

The initiative delivered its third challenge to the creative community in a brief announced at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The challenge calls on creatives, planners, and staff from agencies around the world to propose communications concepts that can galvanise the public to support an emerging international agenda to ensure that extreme poverty is virtually eliminated by 2030. The competition application is a simple two-page form, which will be judged by a panel comprising Cannes Chimera members - the Grand Prix winners from Cannes Lions 2013 - and representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Cannes Chimera Initiative will award up to 10 winners a prize of up to US$100,000 and recognition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2014.

Winners from the competition will receive an exclusive invitation to attend a complimentary creative workshop at the Gates Foundation campus in Seattle, where they will have the opportunity to receive mentoring from the Cannes Chimera, the winners of the previous year's Grand Prix awards. Winners of the Chimera challenge will also be eligible to apply for a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of up to US$1m to execute their idea in partnership with the foundation and its global partners.

"We are thrilled to partner with Cannes Lions to challenge the creative community to develop ideas that create social good," said Tom Scott, director of Global Brand & Innovation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We believe the innovations that come out of this initiative will have real potential to help solve some of the world's toughest global development problems and improve the lives of people around the world."

2013 Competition details:

• The creative brief and background are available at CannesChimera.com
• All entry submissions must be submitted online through Canneslions.com by 30 September 2013

Each year, the Cannes Chimera Initiative will deliver a new creative brief focused on a critical global development challenge such as improving maternal and child health, reducing hunger through agricultural development, or combating infectious diseases.

The Cannes Chimera Initiative builds on a year-long partnership between Cannes Lions and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that supported a foundation-based creative competition focused on highlighting the progress of foreign aid. For more information on members of the Chimera as well as previous competition winners, visit the Cannes Chimera website.