Cannes Lions 2026 has released the shortlist for the Digital Craft Lions category, one of the Festival’s key benchmarks for technical, aesthetic and experiential excellence across digital environments, interactive platforms, technology-led content, data, artificial intelligence and new forms of brand interaction.

The Digital Craft Lions celebrate technological artistry in creativity, recognising work that combines form and function, flawless design, precise execution and digital experiences capable of moving a brand forward in an ecosystem where technology is no longer just a channel, but a creative language.

The 2026 Jury President for Digital Craft Lions is Andrés Ordóñez, Global Chief Creative Officer at McCann. His leadership brings one of the industry’s strongest global creative perspectives to a category where craft, innovation, user experience, data and artificial intelligence increasingly converge.

The Digital Craft Lions 2026 shortlist includes 39 shortlisted entries, distributed across 16 subcategories: Digital Illustration & Image Design, Video/Moving Image, Motion Graphics Design & Animation, Overall Aesthetic Design, UX & Journey Design, Experience Design: Multi-Platform, Cross-Channel Storytelling, Real-Time Contextual Content, Personalised Storytelling & Experience, Data Storytelling, Real-Time Usage & Targeting, Curation of Data, AI Craft, Innovative Use of Technology, Native & Built-In Feature Integration and Technological Achievement in Digital Craft.

The selection confirms that contemporary digital craft is no longer limited to the visual quality of an execution. It now brings together experience, navigation, data, interfaces, contextual content, applied technology, artificial intelligence, accessibility, personalisation and the ability to create meaningful interaction.

The United States has the strongest presence in the shortlist, with 16 shortlisted entries, followed by Brazil, Australia, Peru, Japan, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Denmark, alongside a multinational entry connected to the United States, France, Lithuania and Vatican City.

Among the most represented brands are Apple, Embratur and Rai, Michelob Ultra and BCP, alongside Google, Autism Society, O Boticário, Suncorp Insurance, Hyundai, Spoor, Microsoft, Sphere Studios, The RealReal, 1001 Optometry, NTT Human Informatics Laboratories, Mastercard, Tiffany & Co., Mapfre, Flynas and other companies showing the category’s broad industry range.

In Form, the shortlist brings together work recognised for aesthetic value and technical execution, including “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai; “Language of Bedwetting” by Autism Society; “Lorem Ipsum” by Purga Studio; “No Frame Missed” by Apple; “Create a Beautiful Future” by ADC Awards; “The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix” by The Philipstown Wirecar Foundation; “Project Genie” by Google; and “Run Back the Miracle” by Michelob Ultra.

Mexico is represented in the shortlist with “Lorem Ipsum” by Purga Studio, entered by GUT Mexico City in Video/Moving Image. Its presence places the Mexican market within the global conversation around digital production, audiovisual language, artificial intelligence and craft applied to new forms of communication.

Apple has a strong presence with work such as “No Frame Missed”, “A Critter Carol”, “HVL by MCK | First-Ever 360 Shot on iPhone” and “F1 Haptic Trailer”. The brand’s participation shows how digital craft can operate as a product demonstration, a storytelling experience and an extension of a brand’s technological ecosystem.

In Content, Digital Craft Lions 2026 includes campaigns such as “A Critter Carol” and “HVL by MCK | First-Ever 360 Shot on iPhone” by Apple; “Code Her” by O Boticário; “Seat With a View” by Flynas; and “Run Back the Miracle” by Michelob Ultra. These entries show how digital content can adapt to platforms, audiences, cultural moments and personalised experiences.

The presence of “Code Her” by O Boticário in Real-Time Contextual Content and Innovative Use of Technology confirms the value of ideas connecting technology, context and cultural conversation. In an environment where brands need to respond with greater speed and precision, the shortlist recognises work that uses data, content and technology as central parts of the idea.

Data & AI is one of the strongest territories in the shortlist, with entries including “Haven” by Suncorp Insurance; “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai; “Mapfre Contigo” by Mapfre; “SOS POS” by BCP; “Forests Without Names” by Hyundai; “Transit Tales” by Mastercard; “Mermaid” by Tiffany & Co.; and “The Birdwatcher” by Spoor.

The AI Craft subcategory features five finalists and marks one of the most important signals of Cannes Lions 2026, with “La Basilica di San Pietro: An AI-Enhanced Experience” by Microsoft; “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” by Sphere Studios; “L’Ultimo Uomo Reale” by The RealReal; “Project Genie” by Google; and “Magical Surveillance” by Movistar Prosegur Alarmas.

AI Craft confirms that artificial intelligence is now central to the conversation around craft, creativity and technology, not as a decorative tool, but as a driver of new narrative, production, experiential and design possibilities that could not be achieved through traditional methods alone.

In Technology, shortlisted work includes “SOS POS” by BCP; “The Birdwatcher” by Spoor; “Code Her” by O Boticário; “Magnif-Eye” by 1001 Optometry; “Waves of Will Powered by NTT” by NTT Human Informatics Laboratories; “Speed Shields” by KXNGS; “F1 Haptic Trailer” by Apple; and “Run Back the Miracle” by Michelob Ultra. This section confirms the role of applied technology as a platform for improving experience, communication and brand utility.

Peru stands out with “SOS POS” by BCP, entered by Circus Grey Lima, appearing in Real-Time Usage & Targeting, Innovative Use of Technology and Native & Built-In Feature Integration. The repeated presence of the case confirms its strength as a digital idea capable of meeting different craft, technology and utility criteria.

Brazil also has a solid presence with “Amazonia” by Embratur and Rai and “Code Her” by O Boticário. The two entries represent important directions for the category: the use of design, data and storytelling to promote a destination, and the use of technology to activate cultural relevance.

The repeated presence of campaigns such as “Amazonia”, “Run Back the Miracle”, “SOS POS”, “Language of Bedwetting”, “Project Genie”, “Code Her”, “Haven”, “Forests Without Names” and “The Birdwatcher” highlights the versatility of the strongest digital ideas. These works compete across several subcategories because they connect craft, experience, data, technology, narrative and execution.

Digital Craft Lions 2026 arrives at a decisive moment for the creative industry, as brands face the challenge of creating digital experiences that are more useful, inclusive, fluid, personalised and memorable in a landscape shaped by artificial intelligence, automation, real-time data and new interfaces.

With this shortlist, Cannes Lions 2026 confirms that the future of digital craft lies in the integration of human creativity and technological capability. The best ideas do more than look good: they work, respond, learn, support, simplify and turn digital interaction into a brand experience with real value.