Spikes Asia, the nearly four-decade-old Asia-Pacific creative advertising festival, is evolving into LIONS Asia, organisers announced on September 17, 2026. The new platform, including the Asia Lions Awards, will launch its first edition in Singapore in September 2027, moving the festival’s schedule from its previous March slot to September.
The rebrand connects Asia-Pacific’s largest creative advertising festival directly to the global LIONS brand best known for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, giving regional agencies and marketers a more explicit link to global creative benchmarking. The new LIONS Asia Festival of Creativity will run alongside the Asia Lions Awards, which will recognise local creative excellence and cultural connection.
Why Is Spikes Asia Rebranding to LIONS Asia?
LIONS said the rebrand reflects a broader view of creativity as advertising, technology, entertainment and commerce increasingly blur together, and that a platform tied more closely to business performance, customer growth and competitive advantage better serves the region’s marketers than a standalone creative festival brand. Shifting the calendar from March to September is also designed to give APAC professionals a dedicated moment in the year to gather, distinct from the Cannes Lions cycle in June.
What Does This Mean for Indian Agencies and Marketers?
For Indian advertising and marketing professionals, who have historically been strong Spikes Asia entrants and jury participants, the shift to LIONS Asia signals a tighter integration with the global LIONS ecosystem, including its data, case-study and ranking infrastructure. Agencies that have built entry strategies around March-cycle Spikes Asia deadlines will need to replan submission calendars for the new September 2027 timing, and Indian marketers evaluating agency partners may increasingly reference LIONS Asia rankings alongside Cannes Lions performance.
Industry Reaction and Expert Commentary
Regional creative leaders have broadly welcomed the move as recognition of APAC’s growing weight in global creative output, while some agency executives note the calendar shift will require adjustment given how deeply March-cycle awards planning is embedded in regional agency operations. The inclusion of the Asia Lions Awards alongside the main festival is seen as an attempt to balance global creative benchmarking with recognition of work rooted in local cultural context, a frequent point of debate in how APAC creativity is judged against Western-centric award frameworks.
What Happens Next?
The first LIONS Asia Festival of Creativity and Asia Lions Awards will be held in Singapore in September 2027. Agencies and brands across the region, including in India, are expected to begin adjusting campaign and case-study planning cycles around the new September timing over the coming months as further submission details are released.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LIONS Asia and how is it different from Spikes Asia?
LIONS Asia is the new name for Spikes Asia, APAC’s leading creative advertising festival, now directly tied to the global LIONS brand and including the new Asia Lions Awards alongside the main creativity festival.
When will the first LIONS Asia festival take place?
The first LIONS Asia Festival of Creativity and Asia Lions Awards will be held in Singapore in September 2027, shifting from the previous March schedule used by Spikes Asia.
How does the LIONS Asia rebrand affect Indian advertising agencies?
Indian agencies that historically submitted work under Spikes Asia’s March cycle will need to adjust to the new September 2027 timing, while gaining a more direct connection to global LIONS rankings and benchmarking used alongside Cannes Lions.
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