WhyHunger is the Non-Profit Partner of Cannes Young Lions

National CineMedia (NCM), the U.S. representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity’s Young Lions Competition, has selected WhyHunger as its official non-profit partner for 2025.

WhyHunger provides resources to grassroots movements working to end hunger and poverty, support sustainable community solutions, and advocate for food justice.

The nonprofit will be featured in the brief for the 2025 Young Lions competition, which allows young creatives and marketing professionals to compete globally across digital, film, media, PR, and print categories. It is designed to give the next generation of industry superstars the chance to prove themselves answering a charity brief in a high-pressure environment.

The brief is available to advertising, marketing, and communications industry professionals born on or after June 20, 1994.

The winning teams will receive round-trip airfare and accommodations to represent Team USA in the global Young Lions competition at Cannes Lions in June. 

“We look forward to seeing the creative, innovative proposals that this year’s visionary Young Lions develop, and are excited to implement fresh ideas to spread WhyHunger’s mission,” said Jenique Jones, executive director at WhyHunger, in a statement.

As WhyHunger approaches its 50^th anniversary, its focused on expanding its reach and influence to ensure food justice is top of mind for all audiences, especially with diverse Gen Zers.

The winners of this year’s Young Lions competition will be guided by Team USA advisors, a group of senior agency leaders who will provide mentorship and help prepare them for the global competition.

This year’s advisors are:

• Digital: Walter Geer, chief creative officer, Innovation North America, VML
• Film: Jill Lyons, svp, creative operations, Maximum Effort
• PR:  Jo Cronk, president, North America, Whalar
• Print: Harsh Kapadia, chief creative officer
• Media: Stacy DeRiso, U.S. CEO, Initiative

For NCM, participating in the Young Lions competition allows it to play a role in connecting rising stars in the ad and media industry with seasoned executives and educational programming.

For the second year, NCM will bring back its Mentorship Webinar program, giving all community members, including new 2025 Young Lions registrants, jurors, and sponsors, access to exclusive thought leadership from leading agencies and brands. Individuals and organizations can apply now through February 5 to participate.

“Our partners make it possible for us to continue amplifying the competition experience, allowing us to invest in and cultivate the power of the next generation of creative marketers and leaders,” said Amy Tunick, chief marketing officer at NCM.