Following a festival marred by scandals involving AI-manipulated case studies, unverifiable claims, and revoked trophies, Cannes Lions entrants face a higher bar heading into its 2026 event this June.
In July 2025, right after last year’s festival ended, Cannes Lions announced new “Global Integrity Standards” to bring more accountability to advertising’s most prestigious awards. The tightened rules added human and AI fact-checking, stricter client sign-off, and bans of up to 3 years for agencies that submit fake work.
To support entrants through the new process, Cannes Lions published a comprehensive Integrity Handbook last November. It also hosted webinars and introduced a dedicated support team.
