Young Lions Media Gold Winner: Hidden in plain sight

Fresh from winning gold at the Young Lions Media competition in Cannes, Angelika Marcinkeviciute and Maja Skaug Wirum, both Programmatic Specialists at WPP Media Norway, recently took home gold at the Young Lions Media competition in Cannes. Representing Norway and WPP Media, they earned their spot on the global stage with a creative campaign that encouraged Norwegians to “listen to their pulse” and discover the calm of Svalbard. From the pressure of 24-hour briefs to the unexpected camaraderie of international competition, they share what it was like to compete, create, and connect at one of the industry’s most exciting events.

Can you explain the Young Media Lions experience for our audience...how did you get to go to Cannes and what was it like?

To qualify for Young Media Lions in Cannes, there’s first a national round in Norway where you have 48 hours to solve a brief. Our brief was set by Visit Svalbard, and our idea was to place live pulse monitors in central locations across Norway to compare the average heart rates in big cities versus Svalbard. The concept, “Listen to your pulse,” encouraged people to slow down and experience Svalbard’s unique calmness. Winning with this idea secured us a spot at the international competition in Cannes, where we represented Norway and WPP Media.

We were thrilled, and a bit nervous about competing at such a high level. The thought of going up against the best young talent from around the world was both exciting and daunting, but we couldn’t wait to see what we could achieve.

What was the biggest surprise with the competition?

The biggest surprise was honestly how friendly and supportive the whole experience was. I expected the competition to be quite intense, and it definitely was, especially with only 24 hours to solve the Cannes brief, which meant very little sleep and a lot of hard work. But I was amazed by how encouraging everyone was. The teams from all the different countries were genuinely kind, and there was a real sense of cheering each other on, not just competing against one another. I think I was more nervous than excited going into it, but I was surprised by how much fun it actually was solving the brief and being creative, even in the middle of all the pressure and long hours. The positive atmosphere and the chance to connect with so many talented, supportive people made the whole experience even more special.

How did you approach deconstructing the Ovarian Cancer Action brief? What were the key insights you extracted that led to your unique solution?

When I first read the Ovarian Cancer Action brief, I was genuinely struck by how little I had personally thought about my own ovaries or the reality of ovarian cancer - even as a woman. This realization made the challenge feel even more important and motivating. From the beginning, our main focus was attention: how could we create maximum awareness around such a vital topic? We kept asking ourselves how to reach as many women as possible and truly disrupt the conversation. Then, it suddenly clicked - tampons as a media channel. We built heavy on the insight that over 100 million women use a tampon every day worldwide. By leveraging an everyday product so closely connected to women’s health, we found a powerful way to spark attention and conversation about ovarian cancer in the most direct and relevant way possible.

How will you apply the experience to your day-to-day job?

One of the biggest takeaways from the Young Lions experience is the importance of thinking outside the box. It’s easy to create a polished digital campaign, but what truly makes an impact is daring to sometimes do something unexpected and innovative. We live in a world filled with noise and constant messaging, so it takes genuinely creative ideas to break through and reach people these days. I hope to contribute to more campaigns like this in the future - projects that push boundaries and use creativity to spark real change. This competition has inspired me to aim higher and be braver in the ideas I bring to the table.

What was the most significant learning experience or personal growth you gained from participating in the Young Lions competition?

The Young Lions experience taught me the value of trusting my instincts and pushing creative boundaries, even under extreme time pressure. I want to bring this mindset into my everyday work - being braver with new ideas, daring to challenge the status quo, and not being afraid to suggest unconventional solutions. As someone under 30, you can sometimes feel a bit small in an industry full of incredibly talented people with many years of experience. This competition really showed me that younger voices have a lot to contribute, too.