Cannes Lions

Also known as the International Festival of Creativity.

Awards emblazoned with the heads of savanna-dwelling animals are bestowed upon marketing luminaries in categories such as Digital, Health & Wellness, Innovation, Print & Publishing, and Outdoor.

Categories vary year-to-year, so it resembles the Olympics more than the Oscars. Leon de Lunden of Belgium may take pride in winning the only Olympic gold for live pigeon shooting in 1900, but there’s little joy in defending a title that no one else can challenge.

Ascential Events, which operates the Cannes Lions, chooses categories based on time-tested criteria such as forecasting how much money they can make from award submissions.