This is the first time in 10 years Wieden has agreed to sit on an international jury, the organisers said. However, the agency he founded is no stranger to Cannes -- this year it won the Grand Prix for its "tag" television ad, made for Nike.
Roger Hatchuel, chairman of the festival, said: "We are absolutely delighted that he will be doing so on the 50th Anniversary of Cannes Lions".
Wieden said: "Actually, I wanted to hand out the very first gold Lion, but I was only six years old at the time. I'm really honoured. If they'd waited much longer, I would have been too old to lift one."
Wieden has a reputation for being experimental. His greatest experiment is said to have been creating the agency, along with now-retired partner David Kennedy, from a card table, a borrowed typewriter and a payphone 20 years ago.
Today, the agency has offices in Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam and Tokyo. Its creative work for clients such as Nike, Miller Brewing and ESPN has seen it named national agency of the year in the US more than once by more than one magazine.
The Cannes Advertising Festival runs between June 15 and June 21 2003. It is yet to appoint a replacement for Franz Penner, former CEO of the Cannes International Advertising Festival, which runs the event.
Prenner quit earlier this month after just nine months in the job for personal reasons.
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