India’s tally at Cannes Lions 2026 has climbed to 18 shortlists, with VML’s The Slooowest Vending Machine in the World for KitKat securing the country’s only entry in the latest round of announcements under Brand Experience & Activation. The category, part of the Experience track, drew 1,551 entries globally, underlining the scale of competition, with Brazilian creative leader Rafael Pitanguy serving as Jury President.
The addition nudges India’s total up from 17 to 18, continuing a pattern of incremental gains as shortlist announcements roll out through the week. Notably, India did not feature in Creative Data Lions in the same round, reinforcing a patchy presence across certain engagement-led categories even as it holds ground in others.
India’s journey at this year’s festival began on a restrained note, opening with eight shortlists across seven categories, led by Health & Wellness. A subsequent wave added nine more entries across Film Craft, Design, Direct and Media, establishing craft and storytelling as key pillars of India’s showing this year.
The shortlisted body of work reflects a mix of purpose-led ideas and culturally rooted storytelling, with campaigns like Renu vs The City for St. Jude, Ek Tara Project for Titan Eye+, and Don’t Look Up for Steadfast sitting alongside Jeere Mein Heera for Coca-Cola and experience-led work such as the KitKat vending machine activation.
Networks such as Ogilvy and VML continue to anchor India’s tally with multiple entries, while agencies including TBWA\Lintas, McCann, Leo India and Mindshare add depth to the shortlist pool. The KitKat campaign, in particular, has emerged as a recurring contender across categories, helping sustain India’s presence in the experience and design-led segments.
Even as the shortlist count inches up, the overall performance points to a more subdued year, with India missing out in Creative Data in the latest round and earlier registering no entries in marquee categories like Titanium, Glass and Innovation. With a relatively lean shortlist base, the focus now shifts to whether India can convert these entries into metals as the awards are announced over the coming days.
Also read: Cannes Lions 2026: India adds nine more shortlists, tally reaches 17
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