Kenya Has Its Champions: Young Lions Winners Head to Cannes

The moment young creatives across Kenya had been waiting for finally arrived as the Safaricom Cannes Young Lions Kenya 2026 competition officially crowned its winners, confirming the teams set to represent the country on the global stage in France later this year.

Announcing the results, Emuron Alemu, the Cannes Lions representative in Kenya, brought the packed room to attention with a simple but powerful declaration: “We have the results. We know who’s going to France.”

Emuron Alemu, the Cannes Lions representative in Kenya//Brian Simiyu

Before the awards were unveiled, stakeholders behind the competition took time to recognise the effort, creativity, and partnerships that made the 2026 edition possible.

Industry Leaders Applaud Young Creatives

Taking the stage first was Christine Kariuki, Head of Mainstream and Value Beer at Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), who praised the competitors and partners despite the long, intense weekend.

“I know it’s hot, but it’s an honour to be here,” she said. “I thank everyone who’s involved. It’s good that we can meet here and elevate Kenyan creativity to the world.”

Christine Kariuki, Head of Mainstream and Value Beer at Kenya Breweries Limited//Brian Simiyu

She paid special tribute to the competition’s title sponsor, Safaricom, describing the telco as pioneers in supporting emerging talent.

Tusker, she noted, has long been built on collaboration with young people, adding that the quality of work on display proved just how strong that partnership remains.

“Twenty-one phenomenal teams competed, and I know that the best team will truly win,” she said, while also acknowledging the jury and singling out Keza Mpyisi from the KBL team for her role in the process.

Safaricom: ‘The Work Was Plug and Play’

Emuron Alemu then welcomed Zizwe Awuor, Safaricom’s Director of Brand and Marketing, whose remarks underscored why the competition matters to the telco.

“You guys are more alive today—maybe it was the nerves,” Awuor joked. “But we are so excited to be here.”

Zizwe Awuor, Safaricom’s Director of Brand and Marketing//Brian Simiyu

She reaffirmed Safaricom’s pride in serving as title sponsor and partnering with Tusker to support Kenya’s creative ecosystem.

“What you presented was really good for us,” she told the contestants. “We’re excited that two of the briefs are actually plug and play—ideas we can directly use at Safaricom.”

Design Category Winners

The Design category awards were presented by Emuron alongside Maurice ‘Riz’ Wangalachi, Design Jury President and creative director at Ogilvy Africa and DigiTribe.

The Design category winners were:

Bronze:Silent Chaos for ‘90 Plus Extra’
Silver:Blueprint for ‘Tuko Game na Safaricom’
Gold:Full Capacity for ‘Niko Game: The 50 Million Seat Stadium’

Full Capacity, the winners of the design category//Brian Simiyu

Digital Category Winners

Moving to the Digital category, Emuron invited Max Ngari, Executive Creative Director at Dentsu Creative Kenya and Digital Jury President, to assist with the awards.

“It humbles me when a top hitter calls another,” Ngari said, reflecting on the judging process. “This category is very vast, and the work we saw was really challenging. I wouldn’t say we saw a bad show.”

He revealed that the jury engaged in intense debate to arrive at the final decisions.

“We had numerous debates and really combed through everything,” he added.

The Digital category winners were:

Bronze:Strictly Artistic for ‘Songa na Stadi’
Silver:Mbwegze for ‘Sim Yako Ndiyo Ticket Yako’
Gold:Kinjal and Muskaan for ‘Ready Stadii, Grao!’

Kinjal and Muskaan. the winners of the Digital category//Brian Simiyu

Film Category Winners

For the Film category, Emuron was joined by Tosh Gitonga, the Film Jury President, to announce the final set of winners.

The Film category winners were:

Bronze:The Magic Duo for ‘Rolling’
Silver:Tandem for ‘Msee wa Ndunya’
Gold:En Route for ‘These Hands’

En Route, the winners of the film category//Brian Simiyu

A Ticket to the Global Stage

With the awards now announced, the winning teams will go on to represent Kenya at the global Cannes Young Lions competition, competing against top creative talent from around the world.

As the applause faded and celebrations began, one thing was clear: Kenyan creativity is not just participating on the global stage—it is arriving with confidence, relevance, and ideas ready to compete at the highest level.