Top agency heads to put Young Lions to the test
The 2011 News Limited Young Lions Competition has signed up an impressive line-up of senior agency professionals for the two-part judging process, set to begin on 20 April.
The judges will put Australian Young Lions hopefuls through their paces to select the best young advertising minds to represent Australia at the 58th Cannes International Festival of Creativity in June.
Entries to the 2011 Young Lions close on 11 April. Judging of the first round entries will commence on 20 April with shortlisted entrants for all three categories (Media, Print, Cyber) to be announced on 6 May.
In the second round, finalists will compete in a 24-hour competition and respond to a new brief designed to prepare them for the Cannes experience. The three winning teams representing Australia at the 2011 worldwide Young Lions Competition in Cannes 19 to 25 June will be announced at an event to be held at News Limited on 19 May.
News Limited Director of Sales Tony Kendall said: “The Young Lions competition, now in its fourth year, has become a landmark event for up-and-coming advertising and media stars. The judging is a rigorous process and we have chosen some of the best advertising professionals to select the next generation to battle it out with their peers on a global stage.”
Early registrations indicate a strong level of interest and media entries are anticipated to be among the highest to increase. Katie Rigg-Smith, head of strategy at Mindshare and two-time judge of Young Lions, said: “The Young Lions competition is a great forum in showcasing the quality and depth of talent coming through the industry. It’s always inspiring to judge although if the entrants are anything like previous years then we have another tough decision on our hands.”
Judging of the print and digital categories will be conducted by separate panels. Mark Harricks, newly installed JWT Executive Creative Director and this year’s Australian Cannes juror for Film and Young Lions Print judge, said: “Our industry is built on the shoulders of young creative people, it’s their energy and enthusiasm that keeps it as vibrant and exciting as it is. The Young Lions competition is the purest celebration of their talents. It gives every young creative person in this country a chance to show their stuff at an international level – it’s like the Olympics, except harder. I’m honoured to be involved in the selection process – I’m sure one day I’ll be asking some of these young ones for a job. It’s a great initiative for the industry at large and for showcasing Australia’s advertising creativity. Go Australia!”
Winning teams will receive return flights to Nice, accommodation and a Young Lions registration to the Cannes Festival with access to all the seminars, awards ceremonies, showcases and the Young Lions party. The Young Lions registration also allows them to participate in the Young Lions Zone, which includes 10 masterclasses and interactive kiosks showcasing winning work from the worldwide Young Lions competitions.
The judging panels are outlined below.
Print judges
Mark Harricks (pictured), JWT
Duncan Marshall, Droga5
Mike Spirkovski, Clemenger BBDO
Steve May, Saatchi & Saatchi
Dejan Rasic, Colman Rasic
John Gault, Euro RSCG
Cyber judges
Tim Buesing, Publicis Digital
Ben Cooper, Three Drunk Monkeys
Charles Clapshaw, Tequila
Lyndon Hale, New Dialogue
Mike Zeederberg, Zuni
Ashley Ringrose, Soap Creative
Media judges – Sydney
James Fearn, ZenithOptimedia
James Larman, MediaCom
Joe Copley, Mitchells
Katie Rigg-Smith, Mindshare
Chris Stevenson, PHD
Bob Goodge, Starcom
Mat Baxter, UM
Ian Czencz, Match Media
Aaron Quirk, OMD
Sebastian Rennie, MEC
Jonathan Hopkins, Razor
Media judges – Melbourne
David Angell, Ikon
Sharni Ames, ZenithOptimedia
David Trovell, Starcom
Tony McKay, Mitchell & Partners
Sarah Thom, Mitchell & Partners
Sharon Cookson, OMD
Angela Feruglio, Mindshare
Sam Hegg, Carat
Phil Phelan, MediaCom
Clara Martello, Maxus
Media judges – Brisbane
Julie Maher, OMD
Jo Stone, BCM
Nicole Boyd, MediaCom
Janelle Edmonds, ZenithOptimedia
Media judges – Perth
Adam Marshall, OMD
Glenn Hodgkin, Ikon
Tom Martin, Mitchells
Rene Migliore, 303
Debra Neve, Initiative
Further competition details including the prize and key dates can be viewed online at the Oz Cannes website.