Future Lions 2022
Further Together with Gymshark
Uniting a global community.
Now in its 16th year, Future Lions showcases inspirational ideas from the next generation of creators.
Founded by AKQA in partnership with Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the program improves access to the creative industry for young emerging talent. Every edition of Future Lions aspires to empower the next generation of thinkers and problem-solvers.
A shark joins the pride
Gymshark partnered with Future Lions to unite the global conditioning community. With TikTok joining as media partner to amplify young voices around the world.
In his parent’s garage, aged 19, Ben Francis built Gymshark with a sewing machine, a screen printer and the knowledge that something different could be born. Gymshark’s purpose is to unite the conditioning community, those who give 100% today to be 1% better tomorrow.
The brief asked the next generation of creatives to put conditioning at the centre of people’s lives to achieve a healthier tomorrow. For those who are social natives who want to feel a sense of belonging in a social space, either digitally or physically.
Thousands of cubs entered. Four begin their journey to become lions.
This year four winners were chosen by the expert panel of judges all with a wealth of experience in communication and design at AKQA, Gymshark and TikTok. The Grand Prix winning team will work with Gymshark and AKQA to bring their idea to life.
Grand Prix
Ten Week Tee
An analogue product for a digital world with fitness instructions printed onto your clothing that fade over time the more you use and wash your gym kit. This allows wearers to feel more confident working out for the first time.
Nicolas Lindberg, Anna Zetterlund, Claes Holm and Fabian Luthander.
Berghs School of Communication, Stockholm.
“It gives me joy and inspires me to work with the future generations’ creative minds who will set the standard for tomorrow. This year’s competition and entry underscored the importance of inclusivity and the clear desire for more companies to come forward and make efforts to support communities that feel underserved. Gymshark are proud and humbled to participate and become part of the changemaker initiatives for years to come.”
Danielle Petesic, Chief Product Officer at Gymshark
Winner
SharkShare
An app that allows you to share your gym membership with those priced out of traditional subscription models, democratising access to fitness for everyone.
Álvaro Jiménez Rodríguez, Laura Esther Conesa Fernández.
Brother, Madrid.
Winner
The Tank
A TikTok smart filter that matches you to a virtual trainer with a similar body type to you. The filter improves as you do without being faced with unrealistic body image ideals.
Jimmy Featherstone Marcheso, Ted Masterson, Tony Wong.
M.AD (Miami Ad School), San Francisco.
Winner
Shark Waves
A connected apparel that allows Deaf people to experience music-driven workouts through vibrations in their clothing in real-time.
Seth Low, Keith Samson, Athena Tan Jiaxin.
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
School of the Year
Recognising the importance of education and the hard work and dedication both tutors and students put into their inspirational projects, the institution with the most shortlisted entries is awarded the prestigious School of the Year trophy each year.
M.AD (Miami Ad School) is named Future Lions School of the Year for the most shortlisted entries and a winning entry, The Tank.
The winning entries speak to the power of community. This resonates with us, as TikTok has made it easier to turn passions into communities that everyone can participate in. It’s inspiring to see how campaigns have used TikTok to build a real connection.
Enter the virtual den
Following the success of Future Lions Rebuild the World with The LEGO Group, we returned to the virtual production stage to shoot this years award show. Crafted using 3D CGI lion models and animations, an expansive environment in Unreal Engine features a giant lion tower, representing the community at the heart of the Further Together brief.
Throughout the show, animated lions can be seen running into the scene from all directions, leaping towards and climbing the tower they helped each other build. Using RED cameras on a dolly to move around the stage creates a parallax effect between the live action and the background, seamlessly blending together in-camera to give the illusion of scale and depth. The 2022 Future Lions award show can be viewed below.
The graduation
The WPP Beach played host to Future Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity where the winning cubs became lions. Hosted by Gemma Redgrave, Marketing Director AKQA with special guests Noel Mack, Chief Brand Officer Gymshark and Trevor Johnson, Head of Marketing, Global Business Solutions EUI TikTok. Guests were captivated by a curated version of the Future Lions virtual award show including the exclusive live reveal of the Grand Prix - Ten Week Tee. Noel Mack lead the team through a deep dive into their idea for the live audience, which was followed by an inspirational keynote demonstrating how Gymshark harness the power of creativity on the TikTok platform.
The quality evident in this year’s entries set the stage for perspectives that matter most to a new generation. Thank you, Gymshark, TikTok and all the schools for encouraging more people into our profession and helping transform ideas into action.
