Vive La France! Pays Créatif

2026 is also the second time that LIONS has named a Creative Country of the Year. This year’s honour goes to France, recognising a creative ecosystem that spans advertising, luxury, fashion, technology, culture and public investment — and one that has consistently translated cultural heritage into sustained global creative influence.

France’s creative identity is often framed through its cultural exports - from luxury houses and fashion to cinema and design — but its presence at Cannes Lions also reflects sustained performance across decades of awards recognition.

At the 2025 Festival, French brands and agencies continued to demonstrate that consistency, with AXA ranking as one of the most awarded brands, including multiple Grand Prix wins for ‘AXA – Three Words’ by Publicis Conseil, Paris. Over time, France has accumulated more than 1,600 Lions and dozens of Grand Prix wins, underlining its position as one of the most influential creative nations in the history of the Festival. Commenting on the award, Cannes Mayor David Lisnard said: “This recognition carries particular meaning for us, given the inseparable ties between Cannes Lions and France, not only through the Festival’s deep history with Cannes, but also through the creative ecosystem it has helped to showcase for decades. Being named Creative Country of the Year is a huge testament to France’s unwavering dedication to harnessing creativity as a catalyst for progress.”

The award will be market through French-led activations across the Festival, including

stage talks, creative showcases and networking events highlighting the breadth of France’s

contemporary creative industries. Among these is the session 100 Years of Publicis, Celebrating Creativity Made in France. Held in the Lumiere Theatre, the event will see Arthur Sadoun and Maurice Lévy explain how, and why, today, Paris has quietly become the city where the world’s most ambitious global brands come to reinvent themselves.

Looking to the future, Cannes Lions is also playing its part in sustaining French creativity. This year, French delegates will have the opportunity to gift one Festival pass to a French-based colleague who has never attended the Festival before — giving new talent access to the transformative experience that defines Cannes Lions.