Berghs Students win the Grand Prix in Cannes

Image caption: Clara Pagh, Rebecka Rydgren, Emil Sörensen, Sandra Alwan and Albert Bäckman

This week, five Berghs students travelled to Cannes to receive the competition’s most prestigious award the “Grand Prix” together with students from Miami Ad School and Brother. The students’ campaigns “The Connected Bike Bell” and “Safety Noise” will be developed by Volvo Cars.

This year's brief from Volvo Cars asked students to use groundbreaking technology to protect people and make them feel more safe. With Forbes as a media partner, Volvo wanted to challenge the status quo with ideas that further inclusion and the creative application of technology. This year, over 500 schools from 80 countries competed. Eight of the nominated submissions were from Berghs.  

One of the nominations from Berghs was chosen and shares the top spot with Miami Ad School and Brother for the Grand Prix award. The winning submission is called “The Connected Bike Bell”. The idea is to democratise the relationship between cyclists and car drivers in traffic and to improve safety on the road. Drivers and cyclists have the same rules, however, the relationship between them is far from equal. The winning group includes Rebecka Rydgren, Sandra Alwan, Emil Sörensen, Albert Bäckman och Clara-Fanny Pagh, all studying the Art Direction/Copywriter program at Berghs.

“Volvo Cars will modernise the bell through technology and thereby set the standard for the entire car industry to make roads safer for bikers. Safety is essentially in Volvo Cars’ DNA which therefore feels like they can enable cyclists and drivers to be able to communicate on equal terms. After all, they have the same rules in traffic” says Albert Bäckman, copywriter.   

“WOW! To be able to stand out with such a creative solution among thousands of talented students worldwide and also win the Grand Prix is quite an accomplishment! We’re proud that we continue to maintain a high international standard year after year,” says Camilla Wallander, CEO of Berghs School of Communication.

All the nominated submissions from Berghs:

The Connected Bike Bell, Rebecka Rydgren, Sandra Alwan, Emil Sörensen, Albert Bäckman & Clara-Fanny Pagh

Peaceful Passage, Ellen Almqvist, Erik Günther, Lucas Klarén & Elias Wirensjö

SafeSync Filip Xu 

Fireward, Adam Lundgren, Christopher Runström, Elias Karlsson, Axel Abrahamsson & Hanna Rönnås

E-Light System, Linn Löfholm, Amanda Gameel, Jakob Hjulström, Ida Nordeng & Noa Carle

Found by Volvo, Cajsa Winqvist, Miranda Kyker, Oscar Larsson & Ronja Svahn

Volvo Night’s Watch, Greta Peetre & Ida Samarikoff

Education and training is also happening during the festival, through several academies. One of these is the “Roger Hatchuel Student Academy” where William Andersson, who just graduated from Berghs’ Public Relations program, is representing Berghs. The festival program is especially designed to develop participants’ networks and give them a globally future-oriented perspective. William is one of 37 students representing 29 countries in this year’s cohort.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in society which goes hand in hand with public relations. To experience Cannes Lions Festival and meet students with similar passions from all around the world is an amazing step immediately after graduating,” says William. 

Berghs School of Communication offers strategic and creative education on various levels within marketing and communication. The school offers full-time studies and an international B.A., over 90 courses for professionals, and tailor-made education for organizations and companies. Approximately 3000 people are educated at Berghs every year, either in Sweden or abroad. Another 3000 people attend the school’s open seminars and events. Berghs is located in Stockholm and is part of Intendia Group.

Read more about the awards our students have won over the years here.