By Ifeanyi Dibia
It’s no longer a catchy headline that advertising’s biggest annual gathering in the breathtaking south of France, the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, has been pushing for more diversity and inclusion in recent years – thanks to notable initiatives likebroader jury representation, See It Be It scholarship for female creatives, The LIONSTalent Programmes, Inkwell Beach and even the newest kid on the block: Black at Cannes.
Now, in a bid to take this laudable effort to unprecedented heights, the festival body has just launched a new initiative called the Equity, Representation and Accessibility Programme (ERA).
The ERA programme will helpunderrepresented creative talent get access to the highly sought–after Festival to experience it in person and get the chance to celebrate the best of the best of creativity from all over the world.
To show it means business, the festival body is putting its money where its heart is by committing up to €1m worth of complimentary passes every year to the programme.
Entry is currently open to all organizationsthough special consideration will be given to registered charities, not-for-profit, and diverse-owned organizations. Selection will be based on a point–based system under the sole discretion of a panel.
The annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity will hold this year from the 17th –21st of June and the entry deadline for the new ERA programme is set for the 22nd of March.