Creative Moment’s Cream of Cannes: our very human-centric winners

Human-centric campaigns are very much back in, and our pick of the Cannes Lions entries shows a decidedly people-first pedigree.

In 2026, Cannes Lions is making a name for itself outside of the industry. Indeed, TfL even took a sly jab at the overly-pampered marketing set in one of its notorious passenger information boards.

But instead of pointing out the irony that the billboards themselves are a successful example of organic social brand-building, we chose instead to take the newfound interest in what we do as a win, and round up our favourite human-focused efforts from this year’s Cannes buffet.

Each of the campaigns is available as a short case study film, illustrating work focused on solving human problems rather than simply generating attention.

Suncorp – Haven (Titanium Grand Prix)

Perhaps the defining winner of the year, this year, won praise precisely because of its empathetic, approachable manner.

Instead of simply selling insurance, Suncorp built a platform helping Australians understand climate and weather risks to their homes and make practical improvements before disasters happen. The jury praised it as a long-term business strategy built around community resilience rather than recovery. Which basically means putting people and the climate first can pay off long-term.

We liked how the strategy is succinctly outlined in a no-nonsense effort, featuring innovative solutions and action the company has taken.

Nigrum Corpus (Glass Grand Prix)

This was a visually spectacular and immaculately directed effort. The project created educational resources showing how medical training often overlooks Black patients' experiences and symptoms. Judges described it as helping to “humanise Black bodies” and reshape medical education.

We liked how the ad gave real-world examples before displaying a genuinely powerful (and artistically excellent) bit of marketing aimed at the exact audience in question, the medical community.

600K Network (Grand Prix for Good)

Using, but never over-using, montage to striking effect, this  initiative from Venezuela educated and held our attention in equal measure. Through QR codes and citizen participation, the campaign helped create a decentralised system for verifying election information and documenting results. More than 600,000 citizens reportedly became part of the network.

Drawing attention to how organisations are tackling world issues with practical solutions is a real win for our industry.

Vehicle of Hope (Lions Health & UN Grand Prix for Good)

One of the festival's most emotional projects, Caritas transformed Pope Francis's Popemobile into a mobile healthcare clinic serving children in Gaza. A powerful example of symbolism turned into practical humanitarian action. Right on theme.

The Ordinary – The Periodic Fable

The Ordinary’s ascent has been well documented in Creative Moment, but we reckon it’s owed a lot to very human use of language and a focus on simplicity. 

This campaign challenges pseudoscientific skincare claims by replacing the periodic table's elements with common beauty-industry buzzwords. 

Consumer education over product hype.