Ice Bucket Challenge Wins the Cannes Lions Branded Content & Entertainment Category

At the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a week long event of seminars, lectures, workshops, presentations and awards for those working in creative communications, advertising and related fields.

The Awards are judged by panels of experts in each individual field and honour the successes of the previous year. Last year saw the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge becoming an overnight sensation on social media across the world. Initially launched to raise money and awareness of the disease 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis' in the USA, it went viral on the internet in July and August 2014. Crossing the globe to the UK. people participated in aid of Motor Neurone Disease and eventually it was used as tool for others to donate to charities of their choice.

This June at the Cannes Lions 2015 the initiative was awarded two gold Lions in the Branded Content & Entertainment category. However, this was the second successive year that no entries in Branded Content & Entertainment have merited a Grand Prix, the top honour in any Cannes Lions category. According to jury president David Lubars they didn't feel that any of the entries warranted the prestigious award. 

"We had many fantastic golds, but the golds are the best of what's this year. When you give a Grand Prix, that's like classic history forever. I don't think any of those quite hit that," Lubars said. "None of them had that classic, '30 years later still talking about it still' quality. And I do think it's party because it's a growing category."

I am sure we all have our own memories of the infamous Ice Bucket challenge...I know I do! A well deserved award.