Ukraine Wins First Cannes Golden Lion for ‘Minefields Honey’ Project
The Minefields Honey Project — created by Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine with support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, agro-industrial company Kernel, and Dronarium Ukraine — achieved a historic milestone for Ukrainian advertising with its first Cannes Golden Lion win.
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha shared the news on Facebook, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.
The project won gold at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025 — one of the most prestigious global advertising events.
The award-winning project aims to spotlight the widespread danger of landmines in Ukraine and attract international support for demining efforts.
“The Ukrainian context is always unique. Once again, our public diplomacy demonstrates its ability to adopt entirely new forms and meanings in service of a powerful purpose,” Sybiha noted.
He added that the Minefields Honey project is a standout example of creativity fueling a meaningful social mission: “This Golden Cannes award—the highest in the international industry and the first for Ukraine—is a powerful recognition of Ukrainian creativity.”
The project received its award in the Sustainable Development Goals category, which honors creative initiatives with tangible positive impact on society and the world.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,the country is now one of the most heavily mined in the world. As of now, mined territories cover an estimated 8 million hectares—6 million in occupied areas and 2 million in liberated zones.
A joint team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine launched the Honey of Minefields project - an innovative initiative that uses drones to safely sow mined agricultural land with nectar-rich herbs. Bees, unhindered by explosives, then collect the nectar, turning danger zones into sources of renewal.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kernel, Ukraine’s largest agro-industrial company, with technical guidance and expertise provided by Dronarium Ukraine and the Union of Beekeepers of Ukraine.
As a reminder, in 2005, Vitalii Kokoshko, founder of the Kinograf agency, received a Golden Lion as a director—jointly awarded with the Belarusian advertising agency Kryn.
