Watch/Listen to Our New Podcast Series
On how Young Lions accelerate career development and get practical tips on how to succeed in competitions.
Key Dates 2025
Young Lions develop ambition and the ability to create excellent communications solutions. We can call them the national championship for brand communication professionals aged 31 or under*.
*competitors need to be born on or after 20 Jun 1994.
The young professionals go head-to-head and compete against the clock to be crowned the Young Lions champions.
It takes only 24 hours from a brief to the outcome.
Each team has two members from agencies, client organisations or freelancers.
Already Registered to Competitions and Want to Prepare Better?
Warmup Workshop "From Good to Great"
Tue 05 Mar 2024 | 18:00-21:00 | in-person | WPP campus Prague
The workshop is only for the Young Lions 2024 competitors. Past jury members and winners will share their tips and recommendations on how to succeed and answer all your questions.
Register to Warmup Workshop
Capacity is limited to 60 attendees.
Registration to the workshop is closed.
WHAT WHEN
Timeline 2025
We brief all categories in one day, on Friday 14 Mar. After the briefing session of your category, you have 24 hours to deliver your entry.
The next week, each category has its own day for presentations, jury session, and feedback sessions.
On Mon 24 Mar, we will all meet at the Awards & Networking Night to get together, announce winners and celebrate.
Young Lions provide a unique opportunity to develop creative and personal excellence.
COVETED AWARD
Competitions
The only platform where young professionals can find out how good they are compared to their peers.
Coveted award closely watched by the whole industry.
Success accelerates career development.
Develop a healthy ambition.
POWERFUL LEARNING
Training Programme
Powerful learning through experience by working under time pressure.
Provides invaluable group and individual feedback sessions.
Develops competencies in communication, cooperation, problem-solving, decision-making, getting things done, pitching, and presenting.
Enhances ability to create excellent solutions.
WHO CAN
Participate
It is a competition to suit people from every corner of the communication industry, the perfect opportunity to put your talent in the spotlight and get priceless learning.
You can send as many teams as possible (as our capacity allows). Team members can be from the same organisation or combined from different organisations; you can even put together people from agencies and clients.
Brands
Are you from marketing, communication, or PR?
We have a category specifically for clients (people working for brands) – the Marketers category, but you can select any category.
Agencies
It is not only for creatives, as some people think. It is also great for strategists, accounts, digital and PR specialists, etc.
You can select from four categories. You are not eligible for the category Marketers.
Freelancers
Whatever your profession is in the marketing communication industry, you can select one of the four categories.
Like people from agencies, you are not eligible for the category Marketers.
FIVE
Categories
Participants can choose one of five different categories. Each category has its specifics and brings a different challenge. Some categories limit who is eligible for entry. All details can be found on individual categories pages.
Thanks to our Main Partners in the Digital and Media categories, GroupM and Hearts & Science, winners will get an opportunity to represent Czechia in World competitions, and the delegate passes to the Cannes Lions festival.
STRATEGIC THINKING
MEDIA
Develop an innovative communication strategy and demonstrate how you intend to use selected media channels.
Max capacity is 26 teams.
DIGITAL LED CAMPAIGN
DIGITAL
Unleash your digital expertise and create an innovate integrated digital-led campaign.
Max capacity is 26 teams.
Win a delegate pass to Cannes Lions.
CREATIVE PR CAMPAIGN
PR
Create an innovative PR campaign in response to a client's brief.
Max capacity is 26 teams.
KEY VISUAL
Showcase your creative skills and use your craft to produce a brilliant print ad.
Max capacity is 40 teams.
PRODUCT OR SERVICE
MARKETERS
Use your brand and create an innovative solution that answers the challenge from the brief.
Max capacity is 26 teams.
FIVE
Jury Presidents 2024
Each category has it's own jury president, who represents the entire jury
MEDIA
President
Klára
Palmer
Chief Creative Office
DBB Prague
“Young Lions is a huge lesson not only for making you flex your creative muscle but for pushing your boundaries and forcing you out of your comfort zone.”
DIGITAL
President
Dora
Pružincová
Chief Cat Officer
Self-employed
“The question is – why shouldn’t you? Best case scenario, you win a trip to Cannes. Worst case scenario, you lose a few hours of sleep.”
President
Gregg
Harper
Global Business Executive Creative Director
VML
“There are many steppingstones in our business, Young Lions is one of the toughest but the most rewarding for those who take part…”
MARKETERS
President
Ivan
Soukup
Creative Director-GAME
The LEGO Group
“I am living proof that failing Young Lions 11 times can still earn you a Cannes Lion years later and your dream job at one of the world’s biggest love brands.”
GENERAL
Partners & Supporters 2024
Our partners support the development of the young generation of brand communication professionals and help them to grow in their ability to bring great creative ideas and innovative communication solutions needed for the commercial success of brands in today's dynamically changing environment.
General Partner
WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. As our CEO Mark Read says: „Creativity has the power to ensure that what comes next is better than what came before.” In the Czech Republic, WPP unites a diverse group of talent and expertise across creative, technology, media, digital, and research agencies – Ogilvy, VMLY&R, Wunderman Thompson, GroupM, H1.cz, EssenceMediacom, Mindshare, Wavemaker, METS Czech, Ogilvy (Performance Marketing), EM2 Media Agency and Kantar. We share the WPP Campus on Bubenská 1 to collaborate, learn and create great work for clients in our vibrant workspace.
General Partner
Nova Group is the largest television and media group in Czechia and operates one of the most successful commercial TVs in Europe. Shortly after its launch in 1994, it became the market leader in terms of viewership, advertising revenues, technology use, independent news, locally produced shows and widest choice of content through a range of niche channels that complement the main channel TV Nova. Nova Group offers a wide portfolio of online portals(TN.cz, nova.cz) and its own streaming service Voyo, which is the most popular local SVOD in Czechia with more than half a million subscribers.
General Partner
Visibility is an independent digital agency specializing in smart media buying, full-service marketing services and consultancy with strategic projects in marketing, product and innovation. Based in Czechia, operating internationally, Visibility focuses on balancing brand and performance activities, all with the aim of ensuring the highest brand visibility and a quality acquisition while lowering clients' spendings.
Media Partner
Marketing & Media a weekly magazine that focuses on business communication, advertising, marketing and media, presented in a compelling visual and content format. Each issue carries exclusive interviews with the most influential and upcoming personalities in the industry, business news, content inspiration besides providing a platform for meaningful discussion and debate over the state of affairs in the industry. Marketing & Media is distributed directly to subscribers from companies from all over Czech Republic. These patrons are mostly members and chiefs of marketing departments, advertising, communication and PR agencies or industry associations.