GLOBAL – LONDON, UK, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 – The organizers of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity have announced that the Holding Company of the Year award will be presented for the first time at the 2011 Festival.
Any agency that is owned 20% or more by a holding company will contribute points to this award across all sections and categories for both shortlisted and winning entries.
Calculated from the Film, Print, Outdoor, Cyber, Radio, Design, Promotion & Activation, Film Craft, Titanium and Integrated, Media, Direct, PR and Creative Effectiveness categories, the points for the Holding Company of the Year Award will be given as follows:
12 points each for a Titanium Grand Prix or Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix

10 points each for all other Grand Prix, Grand Prix for Good, Titanium Lion, or Creative Effectiveness Lion

7 points for a Gold Lion

5 points for a Silver Lion

3 points for a Bronze Lion

1 point for a shortlist position
There is no cap on the number of shortlist points for this award but if an entry is shortlisted and then goes on to win an award, the shortlist point is no longer counted.
"The Cannes Lions Special Awards have become increasingly important and relevant to the industry. While many are making their own calculations, to prevent any confusion and to impart an accurate and official position, we thought it necessary to introduce the Cannes Lions Holding Company of the Year Award, which we have no doubt will be a much sought after accolade and benchmark for the business," says Terry Savage, Festival Chairman.
The Holding Company of the Year Award will be presented alongside the Agency of the Year, Independent Agency of the Year, Palme d’Or and Network of the Year, in Cannes on Saturday, June 25. Other Special Awards given at the Festival include Direct Agency of the Year, Media Agency of the Year, Advertiser of the Year, Media Person of the Year and Grand Prix for Good.
As previously announced, to be noted are the changes made to the Agency of the Year Award. Before, only points from Film, Film Craft, Press, Outdoor and Radio shortlisted and winning entries contributed to this award. To acknowledge the increasingly critical nature of Integrated and Digital work, the Agency of the Year award will now also include points won in Cyber, Titanium and Integrated Lions categories. The maximum number of points awarded to an agency for shortlisted entries is 10 but if an entry is shortlisted and then goes on to win an award, the shortlist point is no longer counted. The Interactive Agency of the Year Award will no longer exist.
