MultiCultClassics
is often occupied with real work. As a result, a handful of events occur
without the expected blog commentary. This limited series—Delayed WTF—seeks
to make belated amends for the absence of malice.
Adweek reported Blackweek partnered with Cannes Lions
to launch its first awards program, designed to “celebrate work that moves
representation forward, both in the creative itself and the teams behind it.”
Blackweek,
its founders, and operating crew deserve respect. Full stop.
Yet
can’t help but feel the awards angle represents a concession of sorts.
It’s
a common stunt in Adland to generate interest—and income—by introducing trophy
contests. Adpeople love shiny hardware more than they love hip hop.
Is
another non-White awards spectacle necessary? Aren’t matters covered—albeit in segregated,
underrepresented style—by ADCOLOR®, ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards, and 4As MAIP Awards? Not to mention performative PR, pseudo philanthropical
propaganda, and heat shields fabricated by prominent White
awards sources.
Teaming
up with Cannes Lions sorta compounds the outrageousness too.
Sorry
to close on a cynical note, but here it is:
In
Adland, you can’t beat the system. Or the systemic racism.
Blackweek
and Cannes Lions Partner on Awards Centering Representation
The awards
program will debut at Blackweek 2026.
By Alison
Weissbrot
Blackweek, an
industry forum dedicated to advancing business by helping brands, creators, and
innovators connect with culture, is launching its first awards program in
partnership with Cannes Lions.
Debuting at
Blackweek 2026 next October, the awards, which are in the process of being
WARC-certified, will celebrate work that moves representation forward, both in
the creative itself and the teams behind it.
Blackweek and
Cannes plan to announce categories, submission timelines, and an official name
for the awards in the coming weeks. Both agency and client teams are eligible
to apply.
While some
categories will focus directly on representation, others will purely be about
the work, Andre Gray, Blackweek founder and chief activation officer, head of
culture and entertainment, Havas Lynx.
“We want to
just be like, ‘This is the best work.’ That’s what we’re geeked about,” he
said.
The key
difference between these and other industry awards, however, will be the diverse
pool of jurors evaluating the work from their different backgrounds and
perspectives.
“Being in those
jury rooms where I have to argue for the cultural relevance, the cultural
competency, the nuance—we need something that is going to have that type of
integrity,” Gray said. “We’re creating jury rooms where you don’t have to
educate.”
Cannes Lions
will consult closely with Blackweek on the awards, lending its expertise,
processes, judging criteria, and other aspects of its blueprint. Both parties
are still working out financial and ownership details of the partnership.
“We’re taking
the equity, the integrity, and the trust that we have with the Black and Brown
community and combining it with the best-in-class awards,” Gray said. “Our
strategic partnership and endorsement from Cannes Lions is about soaking up
their blueprint, not reinventing the wheel.”
In a statement,
Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions, added that the organization is “proud to
support and endorse the Blackweek Awards, and glad to share our experience in
shaping world-class benchmarks that drive economic and societal change.”
“The Blackweek
Awards are a necessary and powerful evolution in how we celebrate
creativity—one that ensures historically marginalized voices are not only heard
but celebrated on a global stage,” he continued.
A different
starting point
The launch of
the awards comes on the heels of another successful Blackweek, which drew 2,000
attendees to its annual forum in New York City from Oct. 6-9, which is up from
1,300 attendees at its inaugural event in 2024. According to Gray, Blackweek
has grown more than 200% in sponsorship and ticket sales year-over-year.
While
Blackweek’s founders didn’t always plan to launch an awards program, the
support from Cannes Lions will allow them to provide the rigor needed to create
a credible new industry program, Gray said.
“We want to
give a Cannes Lions-level experience, but do it with the trust and integrity
that we have in our community,” he added.
For Cannes, the
awards can help accelerate change more rapidly outside of its jury rooms, which
“can only move forward so quickly,” Gray said.
“We need to
create a different room of people, so that they can also look at work and say,
‘From our vantage point, this is the work that should be heralded.’”
Like Blackweek,
the awards will focus on quality and start from the perspective of
underrepresented groups “and their safety, recognition, and community,” instead
of “starting de facto from the winners of history, which are white, male, cis,
heterosexual,” Gray said. “When you come from a different place, your solutions
are very different.”
They also aim
to give diverse people recognition that can translate into cultural capital in
an industry where there’s pressure to stand out while doing more with
less.
“The easiest
way to get known for your work is to get recognized for your work,” Gray said.
“Awards do so much for people. That’s the work that some young person is going
to look at today or in 10 years, and say, ‘I need to be like that.’”
CORRECTION 10/15/25 at 10:25 am ET: A previous
version of this article stated that Blackweek’s awards are WARC-certified. It
has been updated to reflect that the awards are in the process of being
WARC-certified.
