Entries close on Aug. 26 for Brand Licensing Europe’s Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition, which boosts the profile of new brands, illustrators, inventors and product designers and helps them to break into the $300 billion global licensing market. 

Entrants are invited to enter one of three categories. The first two are aimed at unlicensed brands and properties – often with a focus on illustration, publishing or animation – who are keen to secure a licensing deal or agency representation.  

They are: 

When judging, the panel looks for new creative concepts, which have the potential to inspire multiple product categories. The winners receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2023.  

Additionally, student designers and inventors are invited to enter a third award category, which made its successful debut in 2021, for the first time: 

From 2022, the Product Design category will open to students from further education or university level to enter. Working alongside local universities and schools, students will be competing with one another to showcase innovation in toy design. 

BLE will partner with animation studio, Aardman Animations, once again and students will be asked to use the studio’s Wallace & Gromit IP as inspiration. Applicants will be asked to submit concepts based around the following entry guidelines: 

Related:10 Minutes With … Aardman Animations

“We are so excited to be able to open to doors to students, not only to highlight the best in innovation and fresh concepts but also to give a platform to new talent into the licensing industry,” says Anna Knight, senior vice president, licensing, Informa Markets.