IMPACT decided to start its weekly Cannes Lions coverage by speaking to the young guns of advertising who were chosen to represent the country on a global stage by an esteemed jury comprising A&M leaders. This is the 20th year when India has entered the Young Lions Competition and out of the seven categories which set the stage for the grand battle at the mecca of creativity, India has chosen to send teams of two from the agency side in two categories, namely Print and Digital. Interestingly, this is the first time our country is sending a team in the Digital category. The winners—Saachi Shriyan, Art Director, Dentsu Creative, & Twisha Pandya, Senior Copywriter, Dentsu Webchutney, and Punya Arora, Copy Supervisor & Yugant Gosavi, Creative Controller, Ogilvy India, will now compete at Cannes from June 16–20, taking their ideas, insights, and Indian sensibilities to one of advertising’s most prestigious platforms.
But before the international spotlight, came the intense national scrutiny.
Behind the Scenes: The India Jury Meet
Organised by The Times of India Group, the Indian leg of the Young Lions competition followed a structured, multi-stage format. Ten shortlisted teams from each category across agencies were presented with powerful briefs and given a limited window to ideate, create, and pitch their concepts. What followed was a rigorous judging process led by some of the finest minds in the industry.
This year’s Print jury included Vasudha Misra, President, Creative, Lowe Lintas; Ashish Khazanchi, Founder & Managing Partner, Enormous Brands; Hemant Shringy, CCO, FCB Ulka; Sachin Kamble, CCO, Leo India; Sandipan Bhattacharyya, CCO, Grey Group - South Asia; and Prajato Guha, Founder & CCO, Manja. While Rohit Malkani, CCO, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, was part of the virtual screening jury.
The brief? To redefine fashion as a tool for authentic self-expression. Judges were looking for ideas that didn’t just look good but also sparked conversations and captured the imagination of Gen Z.
“To stand out at Cannes, you need a deep understanding of the subject and a fresh, relevant take on it. At that level, execution is a given, no one shows up with poorly crafted work. What really sets entries apart is the ability to think fast, crack smart ideas quickly, and bring a unique perspective to the brief. Ultimately, it’s the strength of the idea that makes the difference,’ explains Ashish Khazanchi, Founder & Managing Partner, Enormous Brands, who was part of the Print jury.
Another jury member, Prajato Guha Thakurta, Founder & CCO, Manja, shares that beyond the usual judging parameters like strategy, execution, and craft, the jury also considered how well teams could think on their feet. “As the winners will represent India at Cannes, we evaluated their presence of mind, chemistry, confidence, and how they handled pressure, not just the quality of their work,” he states.
In the Digital category, the brief was to position pre-loved fashion as a desirable mainstream trend. The jury panel included Bincymon George, Head-Content & Data, HUL; Geetika Mehta, MD, Nivea India; Kaizad Pardiwalla, GM-Mumbai & Chief Digital Officer, BBDO India; Shrenik Gandhi, Co-founder, White Rivers Media; Raj Nair, CCO, Garage Worldwide; and Shormistha Mukherjee, Co-founder, Flying Cursor Interactive; while Neville Shah, CCO, FCB Kinnect, was part of the virtual screening jury.
Talking about the judging experience, Raj Nair, CCO, Garage Worldwide, notes that while the overall quality of entries was high, especially in terms of ideation and strategy, not all were consistent. He says, “In many cases, strong craft and compelling presentation helped lift the idea even further. However, some entries stumbled when it came to feasibility, potential impact, or usability, areas that jurors scrutinised closely. Great ideas with poor execution were quickly sidelined.”
Nair also highlights the importance of understanding how to best leverage platforms, tools, and technology. Speaking about the winning team from Dentsu, “The duo from Dentsu had excellent chemistry, great presentation skills and above all, an idea that stood out in clarity, simplicity and strong execution.”
According to Shrenik Gandhi, Co-founder & CEO of White Rivers Media, judging was anchored on three core aspects this year, insights, presentation, and the strength of the idea. “Entries that stood out were rooted in genuine insights and showed a deep understanding of both the brief and the audience. Teams that communicated their ideas confidently and held thoughtful discussions made a lasting impact. Ultimately, it was the clarity and global resonance of the idea that proved decisive,” Gandhi highlights.
He describes this year’s Young Lions India jury process as one marked by transparency and intensity, with a strong commitment to identifying work that could truly represent India on the Cannes stage. “We had a seasoned jury from diverse backgrounds, which helped ensure a balanced and comprehensive review,” he underscores.
“Judging the Young Lions India Competition (Digital) was a great experience. The thinking was sharp, the insights - deep, the use of tech - smart and executions - powerful. What also impressed me was how well teams understood the brief and the category. My advice: Let strong insights drive your idea, use technology as an enabler, and not the idea itself. And lastly, have the conviction to defend your idea with clarity and composure,” shares Kaizad Pardiwala, General Manager- Mumbai & Chief Digital Officer, BBDO India.
A Word from the Organisers
“Introducing the Digital category here in India was a conscious move to reflect the evolving creative landscape,” shares Sagnik Ghosh, Head, Creative Strategy & Development, Innovations, Branded Content and Trade Marketing at The Times of India. “Digital isn’t just a format, it’s a mindset that requires agility, relevance, and a strong grasp of how today’s audiences consume content. We wanted young creatives to think platform-first and stay ahead of trends, not just follow them,” he adds.
Explaining the entire process of selection, he says, “All professionals under 30 employed by the advertising and marketing fraternity could take part, with no limit on how many entries an agency could submit, but to ensure a wider network and varied thinking, teams were expected to switch partners for each entry. During the Call for Entries phase, there were no restrictions on who could apply, however, our process advisors vetted all entries for eligibility and creative conditions. In the end, a jury of industry leaders shortlisted the entries and selected one winning team of two in each category to represent India at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.”
Speaking on the kind of support the industry aims to provide to these young talents, he further adds, “Winning teams receive mentorship from industry leaders and past winners, along with creative workshops and exposure to global trends.” Ghosh, highlighting the industry’s commitment to nurturing young talent, explains, “They’re guided on idea development, storytelling, and presentation skills tailored for an international stage like Cannes. Going forward, we want to uncover more talent and offer greater recognition opportunities, like the Jodi Harris Scholarship, while fostering knowledge-sharing within India and globally.”
Looking Ahead: The Road to Cannes
Khazanchi believes Cannes is more than just a competition, it’s a growth opportunity. “They should approach Cannes with a growth mindset as creatives, professionals, and craftsmen. It’s more than a one-day match,” he says. He encourages participants to use the platform to learn from global peers, build lasting relationships, and draw inspiration from seasoned professionals. “For the many first-timers, they should soak in everything. from new media and traditional advertising to filmmaking,” he recommends, emphasising that the exposure and insights shared by industry leaders can be truly transformative.
“My advice to the winning team? Once you get the brief, don’t make the mistake of trying to crack it in your hotel/apartment. It’s summer in the south of France, for Christ’s sake. Call dibs on a sunny spot in a quaint bistro in the Old Town or sit under the shade of a palm tree along the promenade, and then break the back of the brief. My personal favourite? Buy a bottle of rosé, take a boat to Saint-Honorat Island just off the coast of Cannes, find a quiet beach and then take a crack at the brief. But whatever you do, please do not brainstorm in a boring room,” shares Prajato.
The 2025 Young Lions India jury meet wasn’t just a contest, it was a celebration of bold ideas and fresh talent. Now, as these four talented creatives head to Cannes, they take with them the hopes of an industry ready to shine on the global stage.
The Print Mavericks: Punya Arora and Yugant Gosavi, Ogilvy India
Winners of the Print category, Punya Arora, Copy Supervisor, and Yugant Gosavi, Creative Controller from Ogilvy India, delivered a sharp campaign idea born from personal insight and Gen Z sensibilities. “The brief was about rejecting unrealistic beauty standards and embracing authentic self-expression through fashion,” explains Punya.
“It all began with a simple observation. Punya had just uploaded a picture from a wedding wearing a lehenga,” Yugant recalls. “I jokingly asked, ‘What’s the real colour of this outfit under all those filters?’ That’s when the idea clicked, what if the clothes were already filtered?”
The duo crafted a concept around a ‘pre-filtered clothing collection,’ where each garment was dyed to match Instagram filters like Ludwig, Juno, and Clarendon. “It wasn’t just a print ad,” adds Punya. “We built in an innovation component to make the idea interactive and engaging enough for Gen Z, even in print.”
Their clarity of thought and simplicity of storytelling resonated with the judges. “We kept asking mentors, ‘Do you get it?’ The feedback loop really helped sharpen our thinking,” says Yugant. The two emphasised the importance of fast ideation and quick decision-making, honed through years of navigating deadlines in a high-pressure agency environment.
Winning the India round gave them more than a trophy. “We got to present our idea to Reed Collins, our Asia Pacific CCO, with the India leadership in the room. That’s a surreal experience I’ll always remember,” says Yugant.
Punya sums it up with conviction, “In a world where people skip ads, creating something memorable is the real win. I want to make work that sticks, that gets quoted. That’s the dream.”
Digital Disruptors: Twisha Pandya and Saachi Shriyan, Dentsu Creative
In the Digital category, the winning team from Dentsu - Twisha Pandya, Senior Copywriter, Dentsu Webchutney; and Saachi Shriyan, Art Director, Dentsu Creative approached the problem not as a brief, but as a movement in the making.
“The challenge was to make second-hand fashion not just acceptable, but aspirational,” says Saachi. “We realised that Gen Z doesn’t just follow trends, they create culture. That insight became our anchor.”
Their winning idea, titled ‘Slash’, used a web extension that allows users to literally ‘slash’ high-end fashion products online and find affordable, pre-loved alternatives. “It wasn’t about creating another feel-good campaign. We wanted to change online shopping forever,” Twisha says.
The creative process was intense but magical. “We were jamming for hours in one of our pods. And then there was this one hour where everything just clicked. We looked at each other and knew, this was it. Two people’s energies syncing up, manifesting the same vision,” Twisha recalls.
Their campaign didn’t just present a new idea, it made sustainability culturally relevant. And the jury took notice.
Reflecting on the win, Saachi shares, “I honestly can’t put into words how much it means to me. It’s surreal to be representing India on a global stage, and it’s a moment of immense pride and gratitude. Professionally, it’s a chance to grow, learn, and be inspired by some of the best young creatives in the world. It opens doors I’ve always dreamed of, and I can’t wait for the journey ahead.”
Both are looking forward to the experience at Cannes with open minds and full hearts. “We’re excited about all of it!” says Twisha. “Meeting creatives from around the world, learning from them, and sharing ideas and thoughts on a global scale.”
