More than 200 people gathered for the first-ever South African Creative Showcase where 14 agencies and their clients presented the work they hope will make South Africa proud at Cannes Lions 2026. It was a rare and wonderful sight: competitors and clients all in one room, cheering each other's work on. A rare chance for the industry to come together and get behind Team South Africa.
Being invited to judge at Cannes Lions is one of the highest honours in our industry. This year, 31 South Africans help shape the festival's most important conversations, serving on both shortlisting and awarding juries across categories ranging from Titanium and Glass to Film to Media, Design, PR and a Jury President in-between. Meet the marketers, strategists, filmmakers, designers and creative leaders representing South Africa on the global stage. Thank you legends for making us proud.
IDIDTHAT will be the first to bring you the Cannes Lions shortlists for South Africa as they are announced from the 11th – 26th of June 2026. Not only will we list those involved in creating the magic, we’ll also be showcasing the actual work that’s being recognised globally and link it back to the IDIDTHAT companies behind the work. This way, you’ll know exactly who the top creative minds to collaborate with are.
Last week, South Africa’s Cannes Lions jurors made a little history. For the first time, current jurors came together with former jurors and Jury Presidents for Jury Duty, a new IDIDTHAT.co and Nedbank initiative designed to share knowledge and hard-earned lessons before they step into the world’s most influential judging rooms.
LAST TICKETS AVAILABLE. On 4 June, the ACA and IDIDTHAT.co team up, with the backing of the Creative Circle, to host a special South African Creativity Showcase - a celebration of the work our industry is taking onto the global stage.
South Africa’s 2026 Cannes Predictions were revealed at IDIDTHAT’s industry dinner in Joburg on the 19th of May. Over 220 people from agencies, production companies, and brands packed out the restaurant, kicking off South Africa’s official Road to Cannes in exactly the right way: an industry showing up for each other, like only we can.
Last night, at a packed Cannes Predictions Dinner hosted by IDIDTHAT in Johannesburg, South Africa’s 2026 Cannes Contenders were revealed live to the industry. And now you can view that work right here.
For 29 years, the Young Director Award has championed emerging directing talent from around the world. But this year, YDA is turning its attention toward a region overflowing with creative energy, cinematic innovation, and stories that continue to shape global culture. Or, in the immortal words of Shakira circa FIFA World Cup 2010, ‘This time for Africa.’
There’s something powerful about women opening doors for other women, especially in an industry where access still shapes who gets seen, heard, and celebrated. This year, Open Chair once again secured passes through the Cannes Lions ERA Programme, sending 14 South African women to Cannes. The Croisette won’t know what hit it.
On Tuesday 19 May, the IDIDTHAT Cannes Predictions Dinner returns, bigger than before, bringing together agencies, marketers, and production partners for the live reveal of South Africa’s Cannes Lions contenders for 2026, as predicted by our judges. Make sure you secure a table for your team.
For years now, IDIDTHAT has brought together a select group of the industry’s sharpest minds to review the South African work entered into Cannes Lions and to call, ahead of the world, what they believe will rise on the global stage. Here's who's doing South Africa's predicting this year.
Ster-Kinekor, the official South African representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in partnership with Heineken® Beverages is proud to announce the winners of the Cannes Young Lions South Africa 2026 competition.
Big Cannes Lions news: One of the most sought-after Cannes programmes ‘See It Be It’ just dropped its 2026 cohort, and a South African name made the cut. Congrats Liesl Lategan-Kyriakou, founder and executive producer at Spitfire Films.