This is the 2014 Cannes Chimera brief, aka The Greatest Brief Ever.

“Propose an innovative communications concept—a new tool, platform, product…a brilliant storytelling idea—that inspires Millennials to be part of the generation that eliminates global health and development problems for good. Include a clear call to action and a way for Millennials to get involved in these urgent challenges.

These are the types of behaviours your concept should promote among Millennials:

• Contributing commentary and content about global health and development to fuel existing conversations and inspire new ones
• Discussing opportunities for change with peers and communities (on and offline)
• Donating to and volunteering for organizations and projects related to global health and development goals (including but not limited to fundraising)
• Initiating new communities and networks dedicated to addressing global health and development challenges”

These are your criteria:

“Successful concepts will show promise as a way to:

• Shift Millennial attention to global health and poverty issues, and to their potentially transformative role in helping address these problems in their own lifetimes.
• Cause measurable increases in the behaviours stated in the brief, above. (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation tracks these actions along with perceptions of global health and development among the public in the U.S., UK, France and Germany, twice a year.)”

Everything you need to know to enter is here.

“Cannes Lions provides the ultimate springboard for this new brief. Key elements such as the 1000 strong young creative delegation, dedicated TechTalks and Innovation Day, alongside the fact that thousands of the most creatively minded people in the world are in one place, combine to create an unbeatable environment from which to do this. The fact that they can take this and use it to change the world is an incredibly powerful concept,” commented Philip Thomas, chief executive officer of Lions Festivals.

The Cannes Chimera will select up to ten winners and award them with a prize of up to $100,000.

Winners will be eligible to participate in a grant funding project with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They will also receive an exclusive invitation to attend a complimentary workshop at the Gates Foundation in Seattle, where they will receive mentoring from the previous year’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners. They will have approximately six months to develop and pilot their ideas in order to show proof of concept, which is required for phase two funding consideration.

“Millennials have an incredible opportunity to create long-lasting global change,” said Tom Scott, director of Global Brand & Innovation for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, “but we haven’t found enough ways to tap into their creativity and desire to make an impact on the biggest problems in the world. This competition will help us and the global health and development sector to partner with Millennials in ground-breaking ways.”

All entries must have been submitted online by 1 August, 2014.