Ogilvy has won network of the year and LePub Milan has won agency of the year at Cannes Lions 2026.Other big winners included Rethink Toronto, which won independent agency of the year, and Heineken, which won creative brand of the year.WPP-owned Ogilvy won 81 Lions, including three Grands Prix, 13 gold, 22 silver and 43 bronze.Laurent Ezekiel, the global chief executive of Ogilvy Group, and Liz Taylor, the global chief creative officer, were on stage in the Palais tonight (Friday 26 June) to receive the network award — the third time in five years that Ogilvy took home the prize.Ezekiel, who took charge in September, said: “In my first year as global CEO of the Ogilvy Group, I have seen the unmatched creative power and impact we bring our clients across our global network and I could not be more proud of being named Cannes network of the year.“This honour recognises our creativity in all forms and crafts — from creative storytelling and advertising to social content, influence, PR, innovation and activations — and celebrates the integrated teams across our network who continue to push boundaries and bold ideas for our clients. It’s a great privilege to share this moment amongst our clients, teams and partners and to continue setting the creative standard for our industry.”The Ogilvy network includes Grey and David. Its three Grand Prix wins were “Uva uva bombón” for Puerto Rican delivery platform Uva App by De La Cruz Ogilvy in the Direct Lions, “Copycats welcome” for Clash Royale by David New York in the Entertainment Gaming Lions, and “SOS POS” for BCP Bank by Circus Grey in the Creative Data Lions.Taylor said: “We come to Cannes with one goal in mind: to proudly take the stage each night with our clients and celebrate the power of creativity in every corner of the world. To affirm their belief in ideas to solve any problem, overcome any challenge, and drive the impact they aspire to create.“I am incredibly proud of Ogilvy’s performance this week, but more than anything, I’m proud of how we continue to show up for and with the biggest and boldest brands. To shape culture, inspire communities, reimagine entire categories, and to chart the future that we’re all, always, stepping into.”Ogilvy won ahead of sister WPP network VML in second place and Omnicom’s TBWA in third. Last year, Ogilvy was second to DDB Worldwide in first place and FCB in third place. Both of those networks were axed as part of a wider restructure in December, following Omnicom’s takeover of Interpublic.Cindy Rose, the chief executive of WPP, hailed the one-two for Ogilvy and VML in network of the year, plus other recognition across its media, production and PR agencies. “Creativity is our superpower – it’s what builds brand differentiation and trust for our clients,” Rose said, adding: “This is our integrated model in action, delivering growth for clients.”LePub Milan, part of Publicis Groupe, won agency of the year after picking up two Grands Prix, “The pub that refused to die” for Heineken in the Creative Strategy Lions and “Could have been a Heineken” for the beer brand in the Social & Creator Lions.Bruno Bertelli, the chief executive and chief creative officer of LePub Worldwide, said: “Today is much more than a celebration of an award. It is the recognition of a journey built over years by people who chose to believe that creativity can become a true business model. This moment would not have been possible without Heineken and the extraordinary partnership we had built together.“Bram Westenbrink [the chief commercial officer of Heineken] and his team gave us something every creative agency hopes for: trust. They opened the brand to us, encouraged us to challenge conventions, and shared our belief that the best ideas are born when clients and agencies are willing to take risks together. Since 2020, when the world suddenly changed, we stopped thinking in terms of briefs and started thinking in terms of possibilities. Together, we created a different way of working — one rooted in curiosity, cultural relevance, and the ambition to build ideas that move seamlessly between global vision and local truth. Ideas that don't interrupt culture but become part of it.”Heineken also won creative brand of the year at the ceremony in the Palais. Bertelli said: “Seeing Heineken recognised as creative brand of the year while LePub is named agency of the year makes this achievement even more meaningful because these victories belong together. They are proof that the strongest creative work is never built alone.”It is the third year in a row that a Publicis shop won agency of the year, after Publicis Conseil landed the prize in 2024 and 2025.Rethink Toronto won independent agency of the year, ahead of Isle of Any from New York in second and Mother London in third.Canada-based Rethink also won independent agency network, ahead of the UK-headquartered Mother and US-based Wieden+Kennedy.Simon Cook, the chief executive of Lions, said: “The body of work our jurors have awarded showcases the ideas, innovations and creative excellence that moves the industry forward. Across the festival week, we have seen Lion winners representing every corner of the globe with first-time Grands Prix for Kenya and Greece. Huge congratulations to all. Thanks, once again, to our incredible jurors, entrants and winners for setting the global creative benchmark for 2026.”There was no recognition for the most-awarded agency holding company, as Cannes Lions dropped the creative company of the year award this year, partly in response to the changing shape of the sector following the sale of IPG. It was ranked third behind WPP and Omnicom at Cannes in 2025.The Lions festival, which is owned by Informa, shook up the awards and introduced tougher entry criteria following a string of controversies over faked and doctored material last year. Award entries fell by 25%.These are the company awards announced on the final evening of the Lions:Agency of the year1. LePub, Milan, Italy2. VML, New York, United States3. Rethink, Toronto, CanadaIndependent agency of the year1. Rethink, Toronto, Canada2. Isle of Any, New York, United States3. Mother, London, United KingdomNetwork of the year1. Ogilvy2. VML3. TBWA WorldwideIndependent network of the year1. Rethink2. Mother3. Wieden+KennedyPalme d'Or1. MJZ, United States2. Biscuit Filmworks, United Kingdom3. CANADA, SpainCreative brand of the year1. Heineken2. KitKat3. IKEAIn-house agency of the year1. Apple, Cupertino, United States2. Google Creative Lab, Mountain View, United States3. L'Oréal, New York, United StatesThis story first appeared on Campaign UK.