RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesia’s Ministry of Creative Economy is fully supporting two young Indonesian talents who will represent the country at Young Lions 2026 in Cannes, France. Kurnia Latif Maulani, a copywriter, and Muhammad Daffa Aulia, an art director, have been selected to compete on Indonesia’s behalf in one of the world's most prestigious creative competitions.

Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, said the participation of the two delegates marks an important opportunity to showcase the quality and competitiveness of Indonesia’s creative talent on the global stage. He expressed hope that both representatives will perform strongly against competitors from around the world and bring home an achievement for Indonesia at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

He affirmed that international recognition of Indonesian creative talent can generate benefits beyond prestige. Speaking in Jakarta on June 8, 2026, he noted that global exposure could create broader economic opportunities for Indonesia’s advertising industry. According to data from the Ministry of Investment/BKPM, investment in the advertising subsector reached Rp6.6 trillion or 363 Million USD in 2025, making it the fifth-largest subsector within Indonesia’s creative economy.

"We provide support, mentorship, communication, and coordination. All stakeholders must create opportunities for talented individuals to continue excelling, not only at the national level but also on the global stage," the Minister said.

The government has also committed to strengthening collaboration with industry associations and creative sector stakeholders to expand international opportunities for young Indonesian talents. The initiative aims to help more Indonesian creators gain global recognition and demonstrate that their capabilities are on par with those of their peers in developed countries.

Meanwhile, Kurnia Latif, explained that Young Lions is a competition specifically designed for creative professionals under the age of 30. In the Digital category, participants are challenged to develop a campaign solution based on a given brief within just 24 hours. The final submission takes the form of a campaign board that must clearly present the creative idea, strategy, and intended impact in a single visual.

"We hope that in the future Indonesia will be able to participate in more categories, not only Digital but also PR, Print, and Film, so that more young talents have the opportunity to represent the country on the global stage," Nia said.

The Young Lions 2026 Digital competition is expected to feature around 90 teams from various countries, out of more than 400 teams competing across all categories. Indonesia previously achieved notable success in the competition when Leo Burnett Jakarta’s Randy Handoko and Joshua Tjandra won a Gold Medal in the Cannes Young PR Lions competition. This year, Nia and Daffa are expected to continue that legacy and pursue a similar achievement in the Digital category.