National Young Lions Competition Opens Registration For West & Central Africa, Excludes Nigeria From Media Category

The National Lions has opened up registration for its 2026 Competition, the official qualifying event for the Cannes Lions Young Lions global stage. The deadline for registration is December 19, 2025.

The platform also issued an important notice to interested Nigerians, which reads, “Due to visa challenges experienced in 2025, the Media category will not be available to competitors from Nigeria for the 2026 cycle.”

According to the platform, this competition is open to young professionals aged 30 and under working in West and Central Africa across the following categories: Film, Print, Design, Digital, PR, Media, and Marketing.

The National Lions stated that the Competition Dates are from 19 to 23 January 2026, and Cannes Lions Festival Participation is scheduled for 22 to 26 June 2026.

Eligibility Requirements to participate in the competition are, valid international passport and a written sponsorship commitment from senior company management.

The Organisers said that winning teams will represent their countries at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in France.