“Remarkable Testament to Creative Excellence”: Jury President Reflects on Cannes Lions Winners

It is the last day of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. As most attend their last lunches, meetings, awards, and dinner parties, Matthias Spaetgens, chief creative officer at Scholz & Friends and this year’s jury president of the Industry Craft category, takes the time to reflect on his time at the festival.

As the jury president, Matthias is well-versed with the Industry Craft Lions award. The awards reward outstanding craftsmanship behind a creative idea, celebrating the creative artistry, talent, skill, and highlighting the importance of technical expertise.

This year's Grand Prix in the category went to ‘Nigrum Corpus’ for Idomed. The project highlights the everyday danger Black people experience and how education can help combat this in the long run.

Matthias speaks about the Grand Prix winner, industry trends, and more with LBB’s Aysun Bora.

LBB> The campaign ‘Nigrum Corpus’ won this year's Grand Prix Lion in your category. What was outstanding about it?

Matthias> The Grand Prix in Industry Craft awarded to the project Nigrum Corpus is a remarkable testament to creative excellence across multiple facets. At its core, it is driven by a powerful idea brought vividly to life through exceptional book design, typography, copywriting, illustration, and craftsmanship in every detail. Holding the book in our hands, we could feel the passion of the creatives behind this outstanding work.

LBB> Do you have any other favourites from the category this year?

Matthias> The poster campaign by Nike for various marathons around the world was, alongside the Grand Prix, a true highlight – strong headlines and authentic insights that motivate runners to keep going. I particularly liked it because of its simplicity. The text on Cadbury chocolate packaging is also worth mentioning - each individual package told a wonderful story.

LBB> As the Industry Craft jury president and only German jury president this year, what does the category mean to you?

Matthias> Before we began our careers in this industry, there was a spark that brought us here. For many creatives, it was a fascination with illustration, great writing, storytelling, or a passion for photography and good design. These are precisely the disciplines of Industry Craft. This category also reminds me of where we come from and the importance of staying connected to our roots.

The Industry Craft Lions perhaps reflect the DNA of our industry. Craftsmanship excellence is what it takes to bring a great idea to life in a unique and magical way. It’s about mastering the fundamentals every creative needs: technical precision, attention to detail, and the highest quality in execution. This category challenges us to take a closer look.

The Industry Craft category is about what it takes to bring a great creative idea to life in a unique and enchanting way. Craft makes the difference between a campaign being outstanding or simply ‘good’.

LBB> What trends did you observe this year at Cannes Lions?

Matthias> One observation for me is that there are hardly any poor submissions anymore. The jury’s work is really about separating the outstanding entries from the very good or good ones. The quality at Cannes Lions is incredibly high - it all comes down to millimeters whether you win a Lion or not.

The regional and cultural grounding of the work remains important, even for global brands. Many pieces aim to address a cultural or regional issue. This demonstrates that brands engage with the realities of people’s lives, creating closeness and trust.