Accenture Song's 'The Monkeys' have received top honours at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their work on the Sydney Opera House project, 'Play it Safe', securing the Grand Prix award in the Film category.

The project was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House and involved collaboration with songwriter and satirist Tim Minchin, director Kim Gehrig, and a host of the House’s resident companies and performers.

The award-winning project is the latest in a string of successes for Accenture Song at the Cannes Lions festival, marking the sixth consecutive year that the company has won a top honour at the event. Previous awards include the Titanium Grand Prix for 'The First Digital Nation' for Tuvalu, the Direct Lions Grand Prix for its Super Bowl spot 'Less Talk, More Bitcoin' for Coinbase, the Creative Data Grand Prix for 'Saylists' for Warner Music, the Film Craft Grand Prix for 'The Truth Is Worth It' for The New York Times, and the Creative Data Grand Prix for 'JFK Unsilenced' for The Times UK.

Chief Creative Officer, Growth Markets (APAC + LATAM) for Accenture Song, Tara Ford, said: "This work is a rambunctious reminder to be creatively brave (just like the Opera House itself) and not ‘Play It Safe’. So, for this work to take out the Cannes film Grand Prix is so gratifying. It’s not an exaggeration to say this is a dream come true. So many amazing people were involved, thanks to all their grit and talent we pulled it off. Special shout out goes to the wonderful Tim Minchin and Kim Gehrig. Here’s to creativity and its enduring power to move and motivate each and everyone of us."

Mark Green, Lead - Australia & New Zealand, Accenture Song, also praised the team's efforts. "We really are thrilled to be recognised on the world stage for work promoting the iconic Sydney Opera House. So many people devoted their talents to making this happen and Tim Minchin and Kim Gehrig delivered the magic. Our client also went on a journey that wasn’t for the faint-hearted. A shout out to Jade McKellar, Stephen O’Connor, Joanne Been and of course Susan Coghill from Tourism Australia. The team at Revolver also sweated this from beginning to end and that’s what makes Michael Ritchie and Pip Smart the best in the business. A final shout out to the team at The Monkeys, what an achievement!"

Neil Heymann, Global Chief Creative Officer, Accenture Song, echoed these sentiments. "We couldn’t be more delighted to see The Monkeys team and Accenture Song and our partners acknowledged in this way. The piece is an ever-necessary reminder of the power of creative ambition and sailing in unchartered waters. And a beautifully written, artfully visualised reminder at that. Makes me proud to work at Song, proud to be a creative and proud to be an Aussie expat."