Ian Wharton: Looking Beyond the Future Lions Brief

Here at shots, we're all about championing emerging creative talent which is why we decided to catch up with AKQA's group creative director Ian Wharton to find out how the contest's five winning teams were picked and why Google was the perfect partner to bring on board, especially given this year's theme 'Beyond.'

Ian Wharton, Group Creative Director

Given that the Future Lions is now in its 12th year; how have they evolved?

Each year since its inception, the brief for Future Lions has remained roughly the same: connect an audience to a brand in a way not possible three years ago. Built into this brief is the requirement for reinvention and the call for reflection on the current climate and current patterns of consumer behaviour. The evolution of winning entries over 12 years is how they represent meaningful and appropriate application of technology. They are a snapshot of how to interact with brands and of what’s to come.

How did you decide on this year’s theme of 'Beyond' and what are you specifically looking for?

This year’s theme ‘Beyond’ is a call for enquiring minds without limit. It is a search for young people who are willing to look beyond what’s expected of them and their industry. Beyond immediate ability, so they become multi-disciplinary with diversity and depth of thought. Those unaccepting of status quo. Simply, we feel that anyone who is willing to turn their hand to unforeseen innovation and circumstance will have an enduring creative career.

How many entries did you receive this year and in terms of talent, how did this year compare with others?

This year has seen over 2,100 participants from 64 countries around the world, making it the biggest year yet for the competition. A perfect platform for young creative people to test their wit and invention among their peers. USA provided the most entries, with increasing entries year-on-year from Asia.

How long (and challenging) is the judging process?

There are two rounds of judging for Future Lions. The first round is judged by 150 AKQA employees from studios around the network plus guest judges from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Google. Each entry is judged three times and receives an average score between one and 10. Round two features the top 100 entries and is judged by the Future Lions Council.

Why did you decide to partner with Google this year?

Google as an organisation is the perfect symbol of the theme 'Beyond'. Few companies in the world demonstrate an inclination for continual re-appraisal of purpose as well as Google.