OGILVY TALENT ROARS AT YOUNG LIONS SRI LANKA AND GEARS UP FOR CANNES
Sweeps Three of Four Competition Categories Awarded
Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka delivered a commanding performance at the Young Lions Sri Lanka Competition 2026 held in Colombo recently, with its talent securing wins in three of the four categories awarded. Sweeping top honours in the Media, PR and TV Categories, the agency’s winning teams will now prepare to represent Sri Lanka at the global Young Lions Competition in Cannes, France, this June.
In a strong showcasing of the breadth and strength of talent across the agency, the Media category was won by Sachintha Gunawardena and Hasith Dilakshana of Ogilvy Media, the PR category was topped by Azraa Saldin and Nirmala Premachandra of Ogilvy PR and the TV category was won by Afridi Hussain and Maveena Manickam of Phoenix Ogilvy.
Organised by Metal Factor, the Sri Lankan representative of the Cannes Lions programmes, the 2026 the Young Lions Sri Lankan edition opened entries across six categories, namely Media, PR, TV, Print, Design and Cyber (Digital), inviting under30 talent from communication agencies across the country. The competition required teams to deliver sharp, insightled, realworld solutions under intense time pressure. A national win here is the only pathway to the Young Lions global stage in Cannes.
This year, out of the six categories in the competition, only four saw wins, with Design and Cyber (Digital) not awarded, underlining the stringent judging standards of the programme.
The three winning Ogilvy teams will now compete at the Young Lions Competition in Cannes, widely regarded as one of the most demanding and respected global platforms for emerging industry talent. The competition will be held alongside the coveted Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026.
At the international edition, Young Lions teams from across the world will face a 24hour live brief and are expected to present a fully formed communication campaign to an eminent jury of senior creative and industry leaders.
This year’s Young Lions Sri Lanka wins stand as a proud moment for Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka. Bringing home three national wins reflects the drive and passion of the teams who earned them, as well as the agency’s continued commitment to growing young talent.
As Ogilvy’s Young Lions prepare to take the Cannes stage this June, they do so, backed by the full force of the agency’s 270strong Creative, PR, Media and Digital teams. They go representing both the agency and the country and with the conviction that Sri Lankan talent is ready to compete with the world’s best.
