Cannes Lions, part of Ascential plc, continues its mission to celebrate creativity that changes the world for the better with the introduction of updated jury guidelines for the judging process. The new criteria urge the jury members reviewing entries submitted into the Awards, to consider whether the work perpetuates negative stereotypes and inequalities.
The revised guidelines build upon the Objectification criteria introduced in 2017, in collaboration with Madonna Badger, which challenged jury members to use empathy when analysing a piece of work and encouraged the jury to reflect upon how they might feel if the person portrayed was someone they know and care about. In 2019 jury members will also be asked to consider whether the work represents deep-rooted stereotypical portrayals of gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability or other biases.
The new guidelines are the result of a collaboration between Cannes Lions and the Unstereotype Alliance, the industry-led initiative convened by UN Women. The initiative brings together leaders from across the business, technology and creative industries to address the portrayal and endurance of harmful stereotypes in advertising and content.
The criteria represent Cannes Lions’ ongoing commitment to supporting a more diverse and inclusive industry. In 2018, €114,450 of the proceeds from the Glass: The Lion for Change entry fees was awarded to the Unstereotype Alliance and The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The funding has enabled both initiatives to develop further original research on the harm of stereotypes in creative communications.
