Entries now open for the 2010 Fairfax Media Young Lions competition – four Cannes trips to be won

Fairfax Media has today announced the launch of the 2010 Fairfax Media Young Lions competition, giving four of New Zealand’s top advertising talents the chance to compete at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

The competition is open to all young professionals who are at the startof their careers in the media and advertising industry. It is dividedinto two categories: a Young Lions Media competition, which is open toagency media planners and agency media buyers, and a Young Lions Cybercompetition, which is open to copywriters and web designers.

The two winning teams, courtesy of Fairfax Media will be flown toFrance in June and receive full registration at the Cannes LionsAdvertising Festival, the largest and most prestigious advertisingfestival in the world. There they will compete on the world stage inthe Young Lions Media and Cyber competitions respectively.

The winners will also have the opportunity to hear presentations fromthe best advertising minds in the world with the winning Young Lionscreative team attending creative workshops and the Young Lions mediateam attending media conference sessions.

Says Group Sales and Marketing Manager, Sandra King: “Fairfax Mediaprides itself on its significant support of, and commitment to, the NewZealand advertising industry. As part of that commitment, we aredelighted to once again offer four up and coming advertising people thechance to go to Cannes.

“This is a unique opportunity that will not only expose the winningteams to some of the greatest advertising minds in the world, but willalso offer the agencies that they are representing some fantasticglobal exposure,” she said.

Former Fairfax Media Young Lion winner, and creative partner at Josh& Jamie, Josh Lancaster said: “As the winner of the 2005 FairfaxYoung Creative competition I strongly urge people to do whatever theycan to win this competition. Nothing else provides emerging creativetalent with the opportunity to take on the rest of the world at afestival as prestigious as the Cannes Lions. The experience wasinvaluable to me. As a Young Lions delegate I was exposed to a mass ofworld-class work in TV, Radio, Print, Interactive and everything inbetween. Every one of those ads was worthy of a quiet pause and anenvious ‘Man, that’s good!’

“I would like to acknowledge Fairfax’s enduring support of youngcreative talent in New Zealand, providing a platform where we can takeon the world. Go New Zealand!”

Full information and entry forms are available atwww.stuff.co.nz/younglions. Entries close at 5pm on Friday, 16 April2010.  Entry is open to young professionals working in the industry whoare 28 years old or under at the time of the festival.

The winning teams will be announced on Tuesday, 4 May 2010 at Fairfax Media’s Viaduct office in Auckland.

This is the fifth year Fairfax Media has run the competition, which isone of the many initiatives from Fairfax Media aimed at supporting thedevelopment of New Zealand’s creative talent.