Recognition

AKQA wins 16 Cannes Lions awards including Design Grand Prix and three Gold

24 June 2021
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AKQA wins 16 Cannes Lions at the 2021 International Festival of Creativity.

After receiving the prestigious Design Grand Prix with Universal Design Studio for the ground-breaking circular fashion work H&M Looop, three more Gold Lions are awarded across Mobile and Radio & Audio Lions. The innovative use of GPS tracking technology in Code of Conscience, the unique application of Harvard and Oxford University research in Beck’s Frequency and the utilising of mobile phone magnetometers in Stranger Antenna is recognised by the festival. A further eight Silver and four Bronze Lions are given in honour of the industry’s most ground-breaking work along with 21 shortlists.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity champions creative excellence setting the definitive global benchmark for creativity that drives progress.

Chief Creative Officers, Diego Machado and Hugo Veiga said: “It’s a big moment for AKQA. It recognises the enormous talent and commitment from our teams in the last two years and brave brands that embrace innovation. Although we are not at Cannes physically this year, we take this opportunity to congratulate partners and clients involved. Santé!”

Design Grand Prix

H&M, Looop

For years, the fashion industry has been trying to find a way to turn old clothes into new ones; H&M has finally brought the dream to life. Looop echos a haute couture fashion atelier, celebrating the craft and process of the Looop technology reducing old or unwanted clothing to yarn to create a new garment from a collection of items. A striking yarn installation acts as a symbol of the recyling process, where Looop is housed in a giant glass box designed by Universal Design Studio.

The work was also awarded two Silver Lions in the Display and Event Storytelling categories.

Gold Lion

Code of Conscience

It’s hard to monitor and stop humans from destroying our forests, but data can stop the machines they use. Code of Conscience is a Cyber Shield for our forests, using open-source mapping data from the United Nations World Database on Protected Areas that restricts the use of heavy-duty vehicles with existing GPS tracking technology that’s installed in construction vehicles entering protected land areas. Using the UN’s World Database, the cyber shield now fights illegal fishing by supervising boat activities in protected ocean areas.

The work also won two Silver Lions in the Data-driven Consumer Product and Innovative use of Technology categories. Plus two Bronze Lions in the Design and Digital Craft categories.

This is only the beginning for Code of Conscience as it inspires governments, NGO’s, individuals, and business’ large and small, to work together to end the reckless decimation of our precious environment. A global collaboration for a global challenge.
- Executive Creative Director, Tim Devine

Gold Lion

Beck’s, Frequency

Studies from Harvard and Oxford suggest that when music reaches a certain frequency it can alter the taste of beer; high frequencies make taste sweeter while low frequencies make it more bitter. Top electronic Brazilian DJs were invited to remix their tracks at a low 73Hz frequency designed to make beer taste more bitter, the sound experiment at becksfrequency.com allowed people to hear tracks mixed by top DJs and change the taste of beer.

The work also received a Silver for the use of Radio and Audio.

Gold Lion

Netflix, Stranger Antenna

To fuel the pre-launch excitement of Stranger Things 3 to Brazilian people, fans were rewarded for taking back a a very popular habit in the 1980s in Brazil: putting a steel wool pad on their TV ariel to improve reception. Stranger Antenna was released, an app that mimics the behavior of a vintage television, as it needed steel wool to properly show a video signal, fans can tune into different unreleased exclusive content from the third season.

The work also received a Silver Lion in the Brand-led Mobile Apps category.

A person holds a smartphone displaying a scene from a TV show with four teenagers looking ahead with serious expressions. The phone is held with both hands over a table.

Silver Lion

Nike, The Awakening in Dance

The power of dance is presented by Nike as a tool for connecting with one’s own history and identity. The movement acts as a catalysts for women’s empowerment launching a film of black female dance artists to strengthen and exalt the artists’ community. The Awakening in Dance is a tool of reconnection to black culture, on the Nike Training app.

Silver Lion

Tennis Australia, Action Audio

Action Audio is an online audio stream designed to make the Australian Open broadcasts accessible for 285 million people globally living with a visual impairment. By applying sound design principles to ball data, blind and low vision audiences can follow the speed and trajectory of the ball, its proximity to the line, and a player’s shot type in 3D audio.

Bronze Lion

Deezer, Silence

The one-minute film was created for the release of rapper Emicida’s album AmarElo. The extra track was added to the ablum, with no lyrics and no beat, entitled Silêncio to inspire collective reflection. The sound was based on Schumann Resonance (SR) a common frequency to all living beings that sparks a collective state of mind. Available only on Deezer, all streaming income from the track will be donated to the Socio Ambiental Institute, supporting traditional communities in Brazil.

Bronze Lion

Netflix, We Watched It All

After receiving a prompt that he’s “finished Netflix”, a relatable fan is taken on an immersive metaphorical trip down memory lane; back through everything he and the wider audience had watched and felt, together. We Watched It All captures our collective feeling of time spent watching Netflix throughout 2020 and the wild rides we experienced from the confines of our couch.

A person with long dark hair, bold blue eye makeup, and crossed arms stands confidently on a boat with colorful lights and decorations in the background.
A smiling man in a blue robe stands center stage, surrounded by showgirls in glamorous costumes with feathered headdresses and fans, in front of a red curtain under dramatic theater lighting.

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