HCM CITY — Việt Nam Young Lions, the annual advertising and communication competition to identify advertising and communications works to represent Việt Nam at the Cannes Young Lions contest at the Cannes Lions festival, the so-called ‘advertising Oscars’, was launched yesterday in HCM City.

Organised by AIM Academy, the theme this year is Live with the heart of a lion

It has three main categories: film, digital, marketers.

Creators who seek to contest must be Vietnamese nationals and under 30.

In film and digital categories, candidates are required to be full-time employees, interns or freelancers at an agency and client companies in advertising or communication.

In the marketers category, candidates are full-time employees at client companies operating in advertising and communication sector.

Seven teams will be selected in each category for the final round and the winning entry will be sent to Young Cannes Linons in June.

Submissions will be accepted until March 30 at www.vietnamyounglions.net.

The topics of the competition will be announced in early April and the awards ceremony will be on April 18.

The award jury will comprise Nguyễn Thị Hải Hà, managing partner and co-founder of ClickMedia; Ngô Minh Thuận, managing director of DNA; Gretchen Largoza, managing director of Ogilvy Vietnam; Indraneel Guha, Strategy Planner at Ki Saigon; Nguyễn Lưu Nhật Tân, managing director of TBWA Group Vietnam; Nguyễn Linh Chi, managing director of Havas Media Group; Paolo Garcia, executive creative director of Leo Burnett; Emilie Veillon, group creative director of Mirum, and Lê Huy Anh, executive creative director of TPG.

Every year all of the world’s largest companies bring their finest creative campaigns to Cannes Lions to compete for the Grand Pix (Cannes Lions) and Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes (Young Lions). — VNS