YOUNG LIONS 2026 COMPETITION KICKS OFF, REGISTRATION OPENS - ScreenVoice.cz

The eighteenth edition of the Young Lions CZ competition for young creators is kicking off. Building on last year's changes, it aims to serve as a year-round community and development platform again this year.

The Young Lions Czechia competition for young creatives and marketers is entering its 18th year. This year, the organisers are building on last year's changes and continuing to develop the competition into a year-round community and educational platform. The competition will take place from 13 to 23 March, with registration open until 27 February.

Following last year's pilot launch of an online community platform for competitors, this year's competition will also involve graduates of the competition. The platform is intended to serve as a place for sharing experiences and professional topics and for participants to meet throughout the year. It includes planned educational activities as part of the Excellence Track cycle, which includes workshops, masterclasses and lectures led by judges and industry representatives.

"This year, we are focusing primarily on content and specific educational activities that will offer the community long-term benefits," said competition director René Jež.

Young Lions Czechia is intended for professionals under the age of 30 from agencies, client organisations and freelancers. The competition is held in teams of two based on a brief for non-profit or socially beneficial projects. Teams have 24 hours to prepare a solution, which they then present to a professional jury in English. The competition takes place in a hybrid format in five categories: Media, Digital, PR, Print and Marketers.

The winning teams in each category will have the opportunity to represent Czechia at the international Young Lions competition in Cannes, which will take place in June 2026. A two-day development programme, Winners Camp, is also prepared for the medallists, which is to take place in May in Prague.

The organisers are also continuing with the model of co-financing the winners' participation in the international competition, which is linked to the number of teams registered in each category. The competition is now collaborating with the 42courses educational platform, whose online courses will be available to selected participants.

The competition is organised by Lionhearted, the Czech representative of the Cannes Lions festival. The PR category is announced in cooperation with the ASCOPA association. The general partners for this year's competition are the Visibility agency and the 42courses educational platform. The media partner is Marketing & Media.

To participate, you must be under 30 years of age ( born on or after 26 June 1995), have a good knowledge of English, work in the Czech market and form a two-member team. Applications for the competition close on Friday, 27 February. Registration takes place directly on the official competition website www.younglions.cz.