Six young Kenyan professionals have secured the right to represent the country at the International Cannes Lions Festival in France this June, following the conclusion of the 2026 Cannes Young Lions Kenya competition.
The 48-hour hackathon-style event, hosted at the Tusker Microbrewery in Nairobi between February 6 and 8, tasked 42 emerging creatives with developing rapid-fire solutions for real-world industry briefs. The competition serves as a primary filter for identifying talent capable of competing on the global advertising and creative technology stage.
The Winners
The selection process, overseen by a panel of 30 industry judges, identified winning pairs across three technical categories: Digital, Film, and Design.
- Digital Category: The team of Kinjal Shekh and Muskaan Shaikh took the top spot. Their brief likely required integrating creative storytelling with digital user experience and platform-specific mechanics.
- Film Category: Michelle Shingi and Nidhi Buty secured the win, tasked with narrative creation under strict time constraints.
- Design Category: Gichimu Ikua and Victor Mureithi won for visual identity and craft.
“This moment proves that bold ideas and hard work matter,” said victor Mureithi, one of the Design category winners, regarding the selection.
Industry Context: The Corporate Convergence
While the event was physically hosted by Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL)—renewing a longstanding partnership with the Cannes Lions franchise—there was significant involvement from Safaricom PLC.
This dual involvement signals a strategic convergence between Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Telecommunications sectors in the hunt for creative talent. For Safaricom, the interest lies in the “digital economy,” as noted by Zizwe Awuor, Head of Brand and Marketing. The telco’s involvement suggests a shift towards recruiting talent that can bridge the gap between connectivity infrastructure and content creation.
The competition was also supported by The Quollective, an entity focused on reshaping the region’s creative status quo, and MB 96.
The Economic Angle
The push to professionalise the creative sector aligns with macroeconomic data. According to the Economic Survey 2023, the arts, recreation, and entertainment sector contributes approximately 5% to Kenya’s GDP and accounts for 0.25% of total wage employment.
Events like Young Lions are effectively industry audits—testing the speed and quality of the workforce against international benchmarks. The 48-hour “sprint” format mimics the high-pressure environment of global agencies, serving as a stress test for the 21 competing teams.
What Comes Next
The three winning teams will travel to France in June 2026. There, they will compete against national winners from over 90 countries. For the Kenyan delegation, the challenge shifts from local validation to global competitiveness, where they will be judged on their ability to translate local cultural nuances into universally understood creative campaigns.
