The Advertising Council Australia (ACA) has revealed the winners of the 2025 Young Lions Australia competition, five teams who will go on to represent the country at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this June.
Selected after a competitive final pitch round in Sydney yesterday, the winners stood out for their bold thinking, creative flair, and ability to deliver under pressure. Each team developed and presented an original idea in response to a brief for the sustainability app Saveful.
Tony Hale, CEO of the ACA, said: “Young Lions is all about discovering the very best emerging talent Australia has to offer. We’re incredibly proud of this year’s winners and look forward to seeing them compete against more than 70 teams from around the world when they represent Australia on the world stage.”
Meet the 2025 Young Lions Australia Winners:
MEDIA – Sponsored by Powered by Nine and supported by the Media Federation of Australia
🏆 Elizabeth Nan Tie & Tayla Orr – Nine
Winning entry: #savethecrust
View their winning work
MARKETING – Supported by the AANA
🏆 Keira Spencer & Jenney Kim – Google Australia
Winning entry: Fridge First Bonus
View their winning work
DIGITAL – Sponsored by Meta and supported by IAB Australia
🏆 Amy Morrison & Laura Murphy – M+C Saatchi
Winning entry: FAST-ER FOOD
View their winning work
FILM – Sponsored by Val Morgan
🏆 Loz Maneschi & Lewis Clark – Cocogun
Winning entry: Choose Me Again
View their winning film
PR – Supported by Advertising Council Australia
🏆 Annabel Begeng & Lily Lazzarotti – Thinkerbell
Winning entry: The Helpful Hot Potato
View their winning work
Jury praise for the 2025 class
Imogen Hewitt, media jury chair and chief media officer at Publicis Groupe ANZ, said the media category winners presented “a powerful, original solution and commercial rigour, we’re confident they’ll do Australia proud in Cannes.”
Marketing jury chair Jenni Dill, CMO at The Arnott’s Group, described the winning pitch from Spencer and Kim as “clear, insight-driven, and backed by bold thinking.”
Digital jury chair Seamus Higgins, CCO at R/GA Australia, praised FAST-ER FOOD as “a clever behavioural hack” that made food waste prevention feel “crave-worthy and cool.”
Tara Ford, film jury chair and CCO at Droga5, said the winning film entry stood out for both its “idea and craft”, a significant achievement given the short turnaround time.
And James Wright, PR jury chair and global CEO of Red Havas, added: “The winning idea impressed us all with its clarity, creativity, and cross-channel potential.”
Next month, the five winning teams will participate in a full-day boot camp hosted by Nine. Designed to fine-tune their strategic and presentation skills, the intensive session will help ensure the Australian teams are match fit for the global competition in Cannes.
Young Lions Australia is proudly sponsored by Meta, Nine and Val Morgan, and supported by the AANA, MFA and IAB Australia.