The Luma Dream Brief by AI video creation company, Luma AI, is offering US$1 million to the team that wins a 2026 Cannes Lions Gold Lion using Luma AI. That’s quite an incentive. Even more, it has selected eighteen judges from modern advertising, brand building, entertainment, and culture more broadly. The panel includes leaders from Nike, HBO Max, Wieden+Kennedy, Chili’s, and Boston Beer, alongside Bill Oakley, writer for The Simpsons, and legendary Old Spice spokesman Isaiah Mustafah.
The jury will evaluate submissions created using Luma AI’s generative video and image platform and select finalists for formal Cannes Lions entry. To ensure eligibility, Luma will provide an official client brief and paid media support, so the work runs publicly within the required timeframe – removing two of the most common barriers between ambitious creative ideas and legitimate awards consideration.
“This group of people have shaped modern brands, entertainment, and culture at the highest level,” stated Caroline Ingeborn, COO of Luma AI. “These are leaders who’ve built iconic work and understand what it takes to move an industry forward. Bringing that calibre of talent together sends a clear signal: this is about redefining what world-class creative looks like in the next era.”
The official jury list is:
- Alicia Nassardeen, Head of Business Affairs, Mother
- Bill Oakley, Writer, The Simpsons
- Carol Dunn, Managing Director, Barking Owl
- George Felix, Chief Marketing Officer, Chili’s Grill & Bar
- Isaiah Mustafa, Writer/Actor
- Jeff Kling, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Das Favorite
- John Deschner, Head of Brand, Maximum Effort
- Jon Williams, Founder and CEO, The Liberty Guild
- Katie Gurgainus, Global Director, Brand Voice, Nike
- Lesya Lysyj, Chief Marketing Officer, Boston Beer
- Lora Schulson, Global Chief Production Officer, 72 and Sunny
- Mal Ward, Managing Director and Partner, Arts & Sciences
- Melissa Cabral, Head of Strategy, Sid Lee
- Michael Hagos, VP, Brand Creative, HBO Max
- Richard Turley, Editorial Director, Interview Magazine
- Susan Hoffman, Chief Creative Officer, Wieden+Kennedy
- Tara Lawall, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, Rethink
The competition is developed in collaboration with brand experience studio, DE-YAN. Its chief creative officer, Jason Kreher – formerly of Wieden+Kennedy, Maximum Effort, and Accenture Song – shaped the competition around a frustration familiar to anyone who has worked in the industry – the premise that some of advertising’s best ideas never get made – not for lack of originality, but because they are perceived as too risky, expensive, or difficult to execute. By pairing that creative ambition with AI tools capable of realising complex visuals at a fraction of traditional production cost, the competition aims to surface work that would otherwise never exist.
“I cannot wait to see what happens when we get this bench of insanely talented and also insane industry leaders into the proverbial room,” Kreher commented. “There is a genuine intellectual curiosity and diversity of thought among these judges, and with the work I’ve already seen being submitted, the discourse is going to get loud and weird.”
Submissions for The Luma Dream Brief close March 22, 2026. The competition is open to creatives worldwide; all entries must be created using Luma AI. Full rules, eligibility criteria, and submission details are available at www.LumaDreamBrief.com.
