ACT Responsible Tributes to Creativity and
Champions of Good 2025 Announced.
ACT Responsible announces the honourees of the 2025 Tributes, recognize visionary personalities whose transformative leadership and creative campaigns have driven meaningful progress in social and environmental causes.
The ACT Champions of Good is an annual celebration highlighting inspiring individuals from across sectors — including brands, movements, NGOs, and the advertising industry — who have played a key role in driving social or environmental change through their personal commitment. This year marked the introduction of a new category: Rising Star. As a symbolic gesture, past Champions Laura Maness (Grey), Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar (M.A.L.I.), and Natalia Vega (New Zero World) will join us to “pass the torch” and inspire a new generation of changemakers.
The 2025 Tributes recognise the following individuals:
Brand: Raja Rajamannar – Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and President, Healthcare Business, Mastercard – for redefining Mastercard’s role in society and using marketing as a catalyst for belonging, inclusion, and purpose-driven innovation.
Ad Industry: Amy Williams – Founder & CEO of Good-Loop – for transforming adtech into a force for good by reducing digital pollution and building a media model that funds charities while engaging audiences.
Movement: Sonita Alizadeh – Human Rights Activist, Musician & Author – for turning her personal story of resilience into a global movement to end child marriage and champion girls’ rights through art and activism.
NGO: Waris Dirie – Founder of Desert Flower Foundation – for leading the global fight against female genital mutilation and empowering women through education, medical support, and bold advocacy.
Rising Star: Annie Kassarjian – Marketing Lead, Unilever Levant & Iraq – for reshaping beauty advertising in conservative markets by placing women’s empowerment at the core of brand communication.
A special recognition was also presented by IAA Global to: Oskar Metsavaht – Osklen’s Creative Director Founder and president of Instituto-E and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador – for pioneering sustainable luxury in Brazil and transforming fashion into a platform for biodiversity, Indigenous rights, and regenerative design.
The 2025 Tributes to Creativity for Good
In the second part of the celebration, ACT Responsible honours twelve campaigns selected by public vote during its annual exhibition at the Cannes Lions. The Tributes to Creativity for Good are given across four categories — Education, Environment, Human Rights, and Solidarity — and celebrate campaigns that combine strong creative execution with meaningful purpose. Unlike traditional awards judged by a professional jury, these tributes are entirely decided by the general public, allowing every visitor — both online and onsite — to engage with and vote for the campaigns that resonate most with them. A particularity of the ACT exhibition format is the strong visibility given to print campaigns, which are often easier to grasp and compare at a glance by casual visitors walking through the space. This helps attract more attention and votes for these campaigns, showing how powerful visuals can raise public awareness.
The favourite campaigns are
In EDUCATION
Grey Mexico (Mexico) – The Shooting
McCann Lima (Peru) – Bullying Can Destroy a Kid’s Happiest Place
Havas Ortega (Philippines) – The KITA Initiative
In ENVIRONMENT
VML India (India) – #UnPlasticIndia
BeFlamingo (Ecuador) – Oceans with Trypophobia
TBWA\Istanbul (Turkey) – Ghost Town
In HUMAN RIGHTS
Amnesty International (Italy) – The Humanity Check
Paradais DDB (Ecuador) – The Journey
Uzina (Portugal) – International Women’s Day
In SOLIDARITY
X3M Ideas (Nigeria) – Blood Sacrifice
Cappuccino / The Weber Shandwick Collective (Brazil) – T-SEARCH®
The Good Company (France) – This Is Where Your Money Goes
This year, 46620 votes were cast by visitors both online and onsite in Cannes. The ACT Exhibition featured
100 campaigns from 74 agencies across 32 countries for 97 advertisers offering a global showcase of how
creative communication can drive change.
