At Cannes Lions 2025, did accessibility finally hit the creative mainstream?

New awards

While they may not have attracted the most attention, there were new categories for 2025 in the ‘craft’ awards – Inclusive Design, and Excellence in Image Description, which appeared in both the digital and copywriting categories.

When looking at the shortlisted entries and eventual award winners, the standout entry was the Grand Prix winner for Inclusive Design, ‘Caption with Intention’, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Rakish Entertainment, and the Chicago Hearing Society.

Created to “convey the magic of cinema for the deaf and hard of hearing community,” ‘Caption with Intention’ set out to update the archaic closed caption system by using different colours, typography, and animation to help distinguish between characters when they are speaking, better synchronize with the spoken word, and visualize intonation and emotion.

The result – a much more inclusive and enjoyable experience for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Jury president Kentaro Kimura, international chief creative officer at Hakuhodo, noted that, while technology is evolving at a rapid pace, accessibility and simplicity were more important than ever, as “in the end, it’s ordinary people who use and experience it.”

Longevity and authenticity

For me, it is also about longevity. By updating a system that hadn’t been changed for more than 40 years – closed captioning was first used in a live broadcast during the 1981 Academy Awards – ‘Caption with Intention’ looks set to have a long-term positive impact on the community it set out to support.

It also has authenticity – due to that history, captioning is relevant to the Academy Awards’ brand, and the collaboration with the Chicago Hearing Society gives it credibility in the disability communities. This is not ‘forced’, or ‘creative for creativity’s sake’.

When looking at the ‘Excellence in Image Description’ awards, there were only three entries shortlisted across both the digital and copywriting categories, and only one award winner – a Bronze Lion for the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development’s ‘Tennessee Sound Sites’.

This is a wonderfully creative campaign, which looks at innovative ways to bring images to life for the blind community. It enlisted local Tennessee songwriters to create “lyrical, sensory-driven photo descriptions” for hundreds of Tennessee images, which it says “redefine travel accessibility.”

However, to truly redefine travel accessibility, it needs to be a long-term solution. This is where I think this campaign is ultimately limited. A fantastic and beautifully executed one-off idea that is authentic to the brand? Definitely yes. An initiative that will lead to lasting positive change for the blind community? Probably not.

This is why longevity, coupled with authenticity, is the backbone of true accessibility. For it to be completely effective, accessibility has to be part of a long-term strategy, not a one-off project.

For example, ‘Tennessee Sound Sites’ is very specific to that State and its heritage, so it’s not something that can easily be replicated across other regions, countries, or cultures. It can inspire, but it’s too costly to be a long-term solution for Tennessee, let alone the travel industry. So it’s unlikely to get the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development the other new Glass Lions category, for Long-Term Brand Platform.

‘Caption with Intention’, however, has the potential to be a real game-changer for the global deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and could have the legs for enduring impact. And that’s the award that I think is the real prize in the Glass Lions categories – it demonstrates not just creativity, but impact that makes continued investment in inclusion something which delivers ROI.

Long-term strategy

Clearly, for businesses to get accessibility right, they don’t need to be thinking of Cannes-level creative solutions.

What they do need to do is ensure that accessibility is embedded into their organization’s processes by ensuring senior-level buy-in and by taking a long-term, strategic approach. Great accessibility is only possible if the whole organization is aware of it and actively ensures it is part of the design and creation of any product or communication. That’s what delivers ROI as well as awards acclaim.

So, has Cannes Lions 2025 brought accessibility into the mainstream? It has arguably raised its profile. But, for us, accessibility has always been a mainstream creative and business essential.