The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is an event that the Ad Council, and many other creative agencies around the world, look forward to every year. 2016 was an exciting year for us as we took home 8 Cannes Lions, including gold in the Cyber: Social Purpose category for our I Am A Witness campaign, so we were extremely excited to see what 2017’s festival had to offer. Let’s just say we were not disappointed. Here’s a quick summary of some of the incredible social good creatives that won big this year!

State Street Global Advisors “Fearless Girl” by McCann New York

Titanium Grand Prix, Grand Prix in PR, Grand Prix in Glass, Grand Prix and Gold in Outdoor, Gold in Media, Gold in Design, Gold in Direct, Gold in Promo & Activation, & Gold in PR

McCann’s “Fearless Girl” sculpture of a young girl facing Wall Street’s Charing Bull has been crowned the Cannes Lions Queen of 2017. Highlighting the lack of female representation in corporate boardrooms, the statue’s plaque states, “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.” At the Ad Council, we demonstrate how influential women in business can be by having an unbelievably talented group of women that make up most of our leadership team.

Transport Accident Commission Victoria “Meet Graham” by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne

Grand Prix and Gold in Cyber, Grand Prix and Gold in Health and Wellness, Gold in Design, Gold in Promo & Activation, Gold in Direct, & Gold in PR

As humans, a lot of the time we like to think we’re invincible. We’re not. The road safety campaign conveys the frailty of the human body by creating a life-size sculpture of a man who would be able to survive a car crash. Graham is a reminder to us all just how vulnerable our bodies really are.

Boost Mobile “Boost Your Voice” by 180LA

Grand Prix in Integrated, Grand Prix in Promo & Activation, Gold in Entertainment, & Gold in Outdoor

A political campaign created to provide voting resources for minority communities during the 2017 U.S. Presidential Election, Boost Your Voice promotes the ideal that you can change your future if you decide to vote by turning mobile phone shops into polling stations. The campaigns tag line “equal access for all” encourages individuals in minority communities to speak up and have their voices heard because everyone has an equal opportunity to make a difference.

Channel 4 “We’re the Superhumans” by 4Creative and Blink Productions

Grand Prix in Film, Gold in Film Craft, & Gold in Entertainment

4Creative and Blink Productions collaborated to create Channel 4’s “We’re the Superhumans,” a powerful and emotional campaign for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. Complementing the campaign was the release of the song “Yes I Can” performed by the ad’s band of disabled musicians. Research found that this campaign shifted attitudes with 74% of people feeling more comfortable discussing disability after seeing it and 59% felt that it improved their perception of those with disabilities.

Ogilvy New York’s “The Refugee Nation” for Amnesty International

Grand Prix for Good, Gold for Design, Gold for PR, Gold for Product Design, Gold for Promo & Activation, & Gold for Outdoor

There are more displaced people in the world now than at any other time since World War II. Bringing attention to this crisis, “The Refugee Nation” illustrates a national anthem and flag for refugees everywhere. Not only that, but a refugee team was created to compete in the 2016 Olympics. With no national team, flag or anthem to call their own, they competed alongside athletes who, unlike refugees, had the support of their country behind them. This campaign shed light on this pressing issue of people constantly feeling like temporary guests everywhere they go and came up with a solution – The Refugee Nation.