With the motto “Life is too short for you to give a stage to someone else”, applications begin today, challenging national talent.
José Pinhal became a musical phenomenon in Portuguese popular culture. However, it took about three decades for his recognition to arrive, after the singer’s premature death. With the motto “Life is too short for you to give the stage to someone else”, the competition has just launched its 2025 campaign, opening applications.
“The Young Lions competitions are a true springboard for careers”, begins by indicating Ana Paula Costa, representative of the LIONS Festivals in Portugal, together with MOP, highlighting that “the competition is back to challenge an entire generation of professionals to demonstrate their creative potential to represent Portugal on one of the most prestigious stages in the sector”. With registrations open until March 6, the executive also highlights that “as the creative concept of this edition points out, it is necessary to seize every opportunity, because life lasts very little”, about the posthumous success of the central figure of the campaign.
As usual, young professionals (up to 30 years old) are called to participate in the categories of print/OOH, film, digital, media, design, public relations and marketing. Applications will be evaluated and voted on by a group of judges appointed by institutional support associations – APAME, APAN, APAP, APCE, APECOM and CCP –, who will select 70 young professionals to go on to the boot camp. This will be the moment to demonstrate their full potential, as they will have 48 hours to respond to a briefing, presented by the sponsoring brands – indispensable partners of the competitions, which will be announced soon. In this second phase, the winning pairs are selected and travel to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, representing Portugal in the international competition.
The campaign follows José Pinhal’s rhythm
Recently launched on social media and the competition website, this edition’s campaign is inspired by the figure and style of José Pinhal, presenting a kitsch-pop image, which is increasingly appreciated by younger generations. The concept and visual identity of this edition’s campaign and website were developed by Tangity, the creative agency that is part of the NTT DATA consultancy and is also the naming sponsor of the competition. TRIX directs the film.
Speaking about the creative concept of the campaign, André Sentieiro, Creative Director of Tangity Portugal, reveals that “speaking to younger people is always a challenge because brands have to find the right language and way to do it. In this campaign, I believe we have found a truly authentic axis because the Tangity Young Lions Portugal promise to do exactly what José Pinhal was unable to do in his time: give due recognition to talent, something that only ended up happening decades after his death. It is the perfect example, due to the story, the lyrics of his song and the aesthetics, to convey the idea that life is too short to give stage to someone else, even more so in the kitsch imagery that emerged with the singer, thanks to the new generations.”
It is also important to highlight that Central de Informações is the agency responsible for press relations and digital amplification, which this year expanded to TikTok and LinkedIn, and IPG Mediabrands is the media agency. It also has the collaboration of 29 Graus, Carma NewsSearch and Sagres. The Tangity Young Lions Portugal organization also thanks the support of Editora Lusofonia Record Club, holder of the rights to José Pinhal’s work, and of the media partners +M, Público and RTP.
Additional information about applications and the competition is available here
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