One of the strongest themes to emerge from this year’s South African winners of the 2026 Cannes Young Lions competition is that a career in advertising wasn't always an obvious path.
The 2026 South African Cannes Young Lions reflect on their. Cannes experience (Image supplied)
The competition, supported by Heineken Beverages, in partnership with Ster-Kinekor, challenges young South African creatives to put their ideas, collaboration skills and creative thinking to the test. The winners represent South Africa at Cannes.
Advertising wasn’t a possibility
This year's winners included Peter Maluleke and Rosemary Mabasa from TBWA.
For them, it was scholarships that introduced them to an industry they hadn't previously considered.
"I didn't know what being an art director was. I didn't know what the industry was or what it looked like," Mabasa reflects.
"I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship through the Loeries Creative Future Scholarship Programme, and that's how I got into this."
Her teammate shared a similar experience. "Advertising wasn't even a possibility. The scholarship opened up a whole new world for me,” says Maluleke.
Long before advertising
But their way of thinking started long before advertising.
For Maluleke from the TBWA team, it is his mother's resourcefulness.
"I've seen her make magic out of nothing," he says of his mother. "Those early lessons in resilience and ingenuity continue to shape how he approaches creative problem-solving today."
Mabasa also credited her mother with shaping her creativity, from her sense of humour and love of storytelling to the unique way she looked at the world.
Long before agencies or classrooms, creativity is shaped at home, through the people who teach us how to solve problems, tell stories and make something from very little.
Those uniquely South African experiences are exactly what make initiatives like Cannes Young Lions so valuable.
By helping local creatives share their perspectives on a global stage, Heineken is backing the idea that South African creativity has its own distinct voice and deserves to be seen, celebrated and recognised around the world.
Unconventional routes
The VML winners, Pippa Browning and Jessica Babsy, also found their way into advertising via unconventional routes, moving from fields as varied as geology, genetics and literature before building careers in creativity.
Different journeys, but the same outcome: creative talent exists in places the industry doesn't always look.
Cannes Young Lions isn't what gets people into advertising, but it shows what can happen when that talent is recognised, backed and given the opportunity to compete on a global stage.
That belief is a big part of why Heineken has chosen to support the programme.
Through its partnership with Cannes Young Lions South Africa, the brand is helping talented young creatives gain access to experiences, exposure and opportunities that can be difficult to come by early in their careers, while shining a spotlight on the people and ideas driving the industry forward.
The South African perspective
Arriving in Cannes meant sharing a stage with young creatives from around the world.
Rather than feeling out of place, the South African teams came away with an even stronger appreciation for the perspective they brought with them.
For the VML team, the experience put things into perspective.
Once they arrived in Cannes, competing as agencies mattered less than the fact that they were there to represent South Africa.
"You get in your head that you're okay, and then you get to Cannes, and you're like, 'I'm representing my country at the idea Olympics.
"We have such a superpower in being South African because the challenges we face make us see things completely differently," they say.
"You can't buy this perspective. You have to be in South Africa to understand."
That perspective is shaped by the realities of working in South Africa.
Creatives navigate multiple languages, cultures and lived experiences every day, often with tight budgets and high expectations.
The real test is not only whether you win
Neither team returned home with a global Young Lions medal.
Not winning could easily have overshadowed the experience. Yet their reflections point to something equally valuable: creative growth.
The TBWA team spoke openly about the disappointment of not achieving the result they had hoped for.
A chance conversation with Ogilvy senior creative leader Pete Case helped reframe the experience and remind them that one outcome did not erase what they had already achieved by reaching the global stage.
Backing young talent means creating room to experiment, take risks, receive feedback and grow.
If every opportunity is judged only by the outcome, we risk encouraging people to play safe when the industry needs them to challenge convention.
Great creativity is about making a difference
Cannes also reminded the winners of something that can easily get lost in the day-to-day rush of agency life: the best creative work leaves a lasting impact.
The VML team recalled being deeply moved by a piece of work from adidas that involved developing footwear for people with Down syndrome.
What stayed with them was not only the ingenuity of the idea, but the years of commitment and collaboration required to bring it to life.
"They didn't just make an awards-baity kind of idea. "They actually committed to helping people,” they say.
"We also have the power to change things. Not just create cool content for brands but use the power of brands to really enact change in the world,” they reflect.
There is a lesson in that for businesses too. The strongest ideas rarely happen overnight. They need commitment, belief and people willing to invest in them over time.
Be inevitable
Throughout the experience, one message emerged again and again: creativity isn't only about producing great ideas, it's about believing you belong on the world's biggest stages.
Both teams returned to the phrase independently in their interviews. For Maluleke, it landed at a deeply personal level.
"Creativity is the kind of work that makes you look internally because you question how you think, you question how you see things," he reflects.
"Sometimes that makes you doubt what you do, and sometimes it makes you believe in what you do.
"But if there's one thing that you should be all the time, it's inevitable."
More than a competition
In the end, Cannes Young Lions was about far more than a competition.
It allowed these teams to broaden their horizons, build lasting connections and return home with a renewed belief in what South African creativity can achieve.
South Africa does not lack creative talent. These stories make that clear. The challenge is making sure more of that talent gets the opportunities it deserves.
That is why initiatives like Cannes Young Lions matter.
They don't simply celebrate emerging talent; they allow young creatives to learn, challenge themselves, gain exposure and build the confidence to take their ideas onto the world stage.
Through its partnership with the competition, Heineken is helping open doors for South Africa's next generation of creatives, giving them opportunities to grow, connect and showcase their talent internationally.
