One company is going to Cannes Lions next year — on us.
🚀 We’re paying for the entry fees, category strategy, and submission materials. Sponsored, end-to-end.
Here’s how to be that company.
Yes, that Cannes. The Oscars of Advertising. Most founders never enter — entry fees alone run $800+ per category, and the process is its own labyrinth. We’re removing that barrier for one company.
Here’s the deal: use UpendNow to ideate, design, and create your next digital ad — and submit the finished video.
Whether you ship it as a fully AI-generated ad or use our output (storyboards, shot lists, visual frames) to walk onto a real film set production-ready — that’s up to you. We just want to see the final cut.
Open to founders, marketing leads, and agency owners across every sector — DTC, B2B SaaS, healthcare, fintech, cybersecurity, consumer brands, creative shops. Funded or bootstrapped, doesn’t matter. If you have a real ad budget and a real campaign coming, this is for you.
The winner gets:
🏆 A fully sponsored Cannes Lions 2027 submission — entry fees, category strategy, and submission materials, all paid for and managed by us
+ 3 months of UpendNow free!
Why Cannes Lions matters: it’s the most prestigious creative award in advertising. A shortlist or win earns press, opens enterprise doors, and helps you recruit top creative talent. Cannes also has dedicated lanes for B2B SaaS, healthcare, fintech, and cybersecurity — sectors that are historically underrepresented, which means strong work stands out faster than in saturated consumer categories. If you’ve ever thought “Cannes isn’t for companies like ours” — that’s exactly why it should be.
Submission specs:
- Finished ad: 30 seconds to 3 minutes (sweet spot is 30–90 seconds)
- Must be a real campaign your company will actually run
- Cannes Lions does not accept spec work — the winning ad must be a real campaign your company publicly releases. Paid distribution on platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Meta, or CTV gives the strongest shot at a shortlist, but owned-channel releases with real reach also qualify.
- Delivered as a downloadable MP4, 1080p or higher
The details:
- Open to companies running real ad campaigns — VC-funded or bootstrapped, doesn’t matter
- First 50 applicants get contest entry
- Finished video due June 15
- Judged on creative craft, brand clarity, and how well the ad lands
- Winner announced June 30
How credits work: Approved entrants receive enough credits to ideate, build, and render a full ad submission — up to 1 minute of finished video. Need more? Additional credits are available at standard pricing.
Credits unlock only after you complete the application form and sign up. Finish both steps to get started.
Whatever you build is yours — run it as a real campaign.
Stop writing prompts. Start directing stories.
Apply here, NOW!
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