At last year’s first Health Lions awards, there was no Grand Prix for the pharma category, and U.S. agencies trailed their international counterparts in wins. FCB Health CCO Rich Levy blamed it on the regulatory hurdles faced by health advertising.

But the jury for the Health Lions, which preceded the world’s largest and most prestigious advertising awards show, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, wasn’t moved by the blame game or some of the work, regardless of which region it came from. A clear message was sent to every agency exec hoping to win big: Be more creative.

Just like that, an award show would inspire more than self-congratulation and networking at the bar. It would potentially inspire the conservative healthcare industry to be better.