BLE 2018 License This! Judges AnnouncedBLE 2018 License This! Judges Announced

The competition is currently accepting entries until Sept. 14, its closing date. Following the introduction of two awards (Brand & Design and Character & Animation) to mark the competition’s 10th anniversary, two panels of judges will whittle down the shortlist on Sept. 21, and, ultimately, choose two esteemed winners at the show in October.

This year’s two License This! winners will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2019, a one-year LIMA membership, PR support and advice from a panel of industry experts. For the first time, all finalists will receive legal consultation from competition sponsor Wynn-Jones.

The judges are:

Chair: Kelvyn Gardner, LIMA U.K.

Cross category judge: Christina Schiavone - Wynne-Jones

Character & Animation judges:

Dan Grant ,Danilo Promotions

Nikki Samuels , Sambro

Clare Piggott, Larkshead Media

Julia Redman, M&Co

Steve Manners ,CPLG

Brand & Design judges:

Stuart Cox – I Like Birds

Will Stewart ,The Point 1888

Vicki Thomas ,Vicki Thomas Associates

Sarah Lawrence, This is Iris

Jehane Boden Spiers, Jehane Ltd.

“License This! is a proven propeller for entrepreneurs to launch themselves in to the licensing industry and a valuable tool to bring fresh, exciting talent into the licensing industry,” says BLE brand director Anna Knight. “BLE would like to say a huge thank you to all of this year’s judges – we’re really excited about the competition’s new format and seeing all of the entrants on judging day next month.” “We are thrilled to sponsor the License This! competition at BLE,” says Christina Schiavone, senior trainee patent attorney, Wynne-Jones. “All brands have intellectual property (IP), regardless of size, and considering how to protect your IP from the very start is so important. Wynne-Jones thrives on supporting entrepreneurship, and we’re looking forward to being a part of this year’s judging process and offering both of this year’s License This! winners valuable IP advice and support as they go forward with their licensing ventures into 2019.”

Applicants can enter this year’s competition, which is sponsored by Wynne-Jones, for free at https://bit.ly/2tDQdEz. The deadline for submissions is is 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14.