The Cannes Lions UAE 2026 winners highlight the UAE’s growing creative influence, with 15 Lions secured by local agencies and four more wins shaped through regional collaborations.
UAE agencies closed Cannes Lions 2026 with 15 Lions, marking another strong year for the country’s creative industry on the global stage. The wins spanned Media, PR, Creative Strategy, Design, Digital Craft, Social & Creator, Print & Publishing, and Glass: The Lion for Change, reflecting the breadth of work emerging from the market.
In addition to the 15 UAE wins, UAE-based agency teams also contributed to four further international Lions through regional and cross-market collaborations, including work for Saudia Airlines and Women For Change.
FP7 McCann led the UAE tally, with a dominant performance across several campaigns and categories. The agency won Lions for Recipe for Change for Puck, The Birdwatcher for Spoor, Spots for Shops for Parkin, and Missing Letters of Worth for L’Oréal Paris.
Recipe for Change won three Lions, including Silver in Media, Bronze in Creative Strategy, and Bronze in Glass: The Lion for Change. The Birdwatcher also secured three Lions, with Silver in Digital Craft and Bronze wins in Design and Digital Craft. Spots for Shops won a Silver and Bronze in Media, while Missing Letters of Worth won Bronze in PR.
The agency’s performance was further recognised at a regional level, with FP7 McCann named Regional Network of the Year, MENA.
Other UAE winners included TBWA\RAAD, Impact BBDO Dubai, Landor Dubai, and Memac Ogilvy Dubai. TBWA\RAAD won Bronze in Media for Laws Under Attack for the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Bronze in Social & Creator for OM BDR (Om Badr – 12th Ingredient) for KFC.
Impact BBDO Dubai won Bronze in Media for Untaught History Edition for Annahar. Landor Dubai won Bronze in PR for The Coolest Ihram for Saudia. Memac Ogilvy Dubai won Bronze in Print & Publishing for Is That A Pinntorp? for IKEA AlSulaiman.
UAE agency collaboration also played a role in four additional Lions. Let It Fly for Saudia Airlines, created by Publicis KSA, Jeddah, and Saatchi & Saatchi Middle East, Dubai, won Silver in Outdoor and Bronze in Direct. The Unburied Casket for Women For Change, created by Edelman SA, Johannesburg, and Edelman UAE, won Silver in Glass: The Lion for Change and Bronze in PR.
The results underline the region’s growing presence at Cannes Lions, with UAE agencies not only winning across core creative categories, but also contributing to major cross-border work across the wider MENA and international landscape
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “The body of work our Jurors have awarded showcases the ideas, innovations and creative excellence that moves the industry forward. Across the Festival week, we have seen Lion winners representing every corner of the globe with first-time Grands Prix for Kenya and Greece. Huge congratulations to all. Thanks, once again, to our incredible Jurors, entrants and winners for setting the global creative benchmark for 2026.”
UAE talent was also represented through Cannes Lions’ young talent platforms. Nouran Elwishy and Alaa Nour from Publicis Middle East represented the UAE in the Young Lions Digital Competition, while Maria Bitar and Muskaan Bhojwani from Initiative MENA represented the country in the Young Lions Media Competition.
The four were selected following the 2026 UAE Young Lions Competition, which brought together 52 teams for a 24-hour creative challenge across the Digital and Media categories.
Iman Abu Iqran, a Bachelor of Communication and Media student at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, represented the UAE at the Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy. She was selected from 16 applicants from universities across the country.
As the official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan congratulate all winning agencies, young talent representatives, and industry leaders who represented the UAE at Cannes Lions 2026.
The 2026 results continue the UAE’s momentum at the Festival and reinforce the market’s standing as one of the region’s most consistent creative performers.
Source: Cannes Lions
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