There is a version of this story where Cathal Mongey and his creative partner Joe Wilkie board a flight to Sydney, walk into WPP House, pitch to the jury in person, and win. That version is tidier. This one is better.
Cancelled flights, a cyclone, and 16 hours of waiting later, the pair presented their Young Lions Film entry via videolink, still on the tarmac in Perth. They won anyway.
The brief
This year's brief, set by Project Planet, challenged finalists to create a powerful, emotionally resonant film that reframed vote planning as something ordinary people do, not just political ones. The task was to make researching your vote feel as normal as casting it. No partisan angle. No lecture. Just a moment of curiosity.
Cathal and Joe answered it with "Dunno?" A film built on a sharp cultural insight and a disarmingly simple idea. The kind of work that looks effortless and isn't.
The result
Cathal Mongey, Account Manager at Juicebox, and Joe Wilkie of Moonsail won the Film category of the 2026 Young Lions Australia competition, supported by the Advertising Council Australia. They will now represent Australia at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June, joining fellow West Australians Jamie Wyatt and AJ McLaughlin, who took out the PR category.
Film jury chair Ant Melder of Cocogun said the pair "stood out for their chemistry, energy and problem-solving," and that they started with really human insights and executed in a smart, simple, and engaging way.
"Between the work, the chemistry, and their backgrounds, it really felt like when they land in Cannes, they're going to be ready to roll."
What it says about WA
For a state that punches above its weight, it's another reminder of just how much talent is calling Perth home.
We have always believed that great thinking is not a function of geography. Cathal's win is further proof of that.
He heads to Cannes in June. We will be watching and celebrating him either way.
