Integrity Standards
At LIONS, we’re committed to celebrating work that demonstrates genuine impact and authentic brand value.
Our comprehensive integrity standards build on existing processes in place to provide a renewed model of accountability, rigour and trust for creative excellence.
Our Integrity Standards are driven by three fundamental goals:
Legitimacy. Every entry should represent real work, created for real clients, with real results. No fabrication, no exaggeration, just genuine impact that deserves recognition.
Credibility. Work should demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism, responsible representation and authentic connection to business objectives. We celebrate creativity that drives progress.
Integrity. All Entrants and Jurors must act with integrity – adhering to the rules and behaving in a way that won’t bring Cannes Lions or the wider industry into disrepute.
The updates to the standards, which build on our existing processes are as follows:
Ownership and Authorship
Sources for claims made in a submission will be requested at point of entry. We want to equip the Jury with the information they need so they don’t celebrate work where the impact has been misrepresented.
Enhanced layers of declaration of factual accuracy – from entrant CEOs, Brand CMOs right up to Network level CEOs.
Veracity of Claims
The introduction of the LIONS Integrity Handbook - a practical guide that sets clear expectations for award entries across these three core areas. It includes verification processes, consequences for non-compliance and a checklist to help entrants understand what’s expected when submitting work to Cannes Lions.
A bespoke AI tool will be used for an initial feasibility study.
If anything is flagged in the processing stages, or after running through the AI checks, we will get in touch with the entrant to clarify or provide further verification.
All jury members can use the “Ask a Question” functionality at each stage of judging. So, if there’s something that doesn’t feel quite right, we can request further information from the entrant or from our technical judge.
Consequence of Misrepresentation
- Violations of our rules may result in disqualification, withdrawal of awards, exclusion from our Juries or even a ban from future Festivals. Any investigations will be handled through a formal process, and escalated cases will be reviewed by an independent Integrity Council. This process ensures anyone can report suspected breaches confidentially.
Due Process and Independent Oversight
- A new formal process for enquiry will be in place should any questions arise either while onsite in Cannes or after the Festival – to make sure that each case is dealt with promptly and transparently.
Transparency in Governance
- After the Festival we'll conduct an integrity audit and publish the findings alongside recommendations for the coming year.
If you have any questions about these standards, please contact awardsintegrity@canneslions.com.
Further information on the measures in place can be found in the LIONS Integrity Handbook.