India’s performance at Cannes Lions 2026 hit a roadblock on Day 3, with no Indian entries securing any metal across the categories announced. After a subdued Day 2 that added just one Bronze metal to the country’s tally, the lack of wins on the third day means India’s overall count remains stagnant at five Lions.
On Day 3 of the festival, winners were announced across five categories: Direct, Media, PR, Social & Creator, and Creative Data.
India had scored shortlists in only two of the above categories: two in Direct and two in Media. It failed to get a spot in PR, Social & Creator, and Creative Data shortlists, which was surprising, since PR was one of India’s strongest categories at Cannes Lions 2025 with one Grand Prix, one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze wins.
In the Direct category this year, Blinkstop by 82.5 Mumbai and Grey India was shortlisted in the Experience Design sub-category. The Blinkstop (-_-) is a punctuation mark introduced by Primebook, designed to subconsciously raise the blink rate of readers. The feature was aimed at helping combat numerous eye problems, including Myopia.
The Kolhapuri for Kalapuri by VML India, Mumbai, also received a shortlist in the Direct category. The book, handcrafted like the Kolhapuri chappals, documented the craft’s legacy and the artisans behind it. In response to the Prada cultural appropriation controversy, the book was sent to the designers at the House of Prada, as an invitation to visit their city.
In Media Lions, Mindshare India’s Vim Ka Mahakadhai Record for Vim was shortlisted in the Single-Market Campaign sub-category. Through this campaign, Vim designed experiences that placed the product organically along the devotees’ journey at Mahakumbh 2025—cooking the holy offering in the world’s largest cauldron and then cleaning it live, serving devotees in Vim-branded plates, and lighting their paths through vessel-shaped lamps.
Box to Beds for Amazon by Ogilvy, Mumbai, was also shortlisted in the Media category. As part of this initiative, Amazon strived to help devotees at Mahakumbh 2025 by upcycling Amazon delivery boxes into comfortable beds. They made these available free of charge.
None of these shortlists converted into a win. This marks a sharp drop from last year, when India secured 28 shortlists across the same categories, and won 14 metals. In fact, in 2025, Media was India's second-strongest category (after Outdoor) in terms of metal haul, as the country got 9 shortlists and won 5 Lions.
How India Fared In These Categories In 2025
|
Category |
Shortlists (2025) |
Metal Tally (2025) |
|
Direct |
5 |
2 |
|
Media |
9 |
5 |
|
PR |
7 |
4 |
|
Social & Creator |
3 |
2 |
|
Creative Data |
4 |
1 |
|
Total |
28 |
14 |
India’s performance at Cannes Lions 2026 has not been that impressive so far, with the country opening its tally with four metals (two Silver and two Bronze) on Day 1, and winning just one Bronze Lion on Day 2.
On the first day, Leo India’s The Unofficial Official Sound of F1 for Sting (PepsiCo) bagged a Silver Lion in the Audio & Radio category. Colgate’s Indianis Dentris by The Refinery Mumbai and Brand David Communications won a Silver Lion, and Ogilvy India’s Renu vs The City for St. Jude India Childcare Centres bagged a Bronze Lion in the Health & Wellness category. Lastly, Tata 1mg’s Sawaal Uthao campaign by Humour Me secured a Bronze Lion in the Pharma category.
On the second day, TBWA\Lintas’ Don’t Look Up for Steadfast’s Fake Money Detector won a Bronze Lion in the Film Craft category.
India has secured 24 shortlists this year, but didn't get a single shortlist in 17 of the 31 categories. With winners of several categories yet to be announced, Indian agencies will now look to the remaining days of the festival to add to the metal haul.
