Judges are unveiled for 2021; day two of BLE 2021 will be called Color for Kelvyn Day in tribute.
September 20, 2021
Brand Licensing Europe has paid tribute to licensing legend Kelvyn Gardner, who sadly and suddenly passed away at the start of this year, by renaming License This! to the Kelvyn Gardner License This! Competition and nominating Nov. 18 (day two of the event) as Color for Kelvyn Day.
The competition has been helping brands and designers break into the licensing industry for more than a decade and applications for this year’s entries close on Oct. 11. The competition final will take place in-person at BLE on Nov. 19.
“Kelvyn was someone that I – and everyone else in the licensing industry – genuinely loved and truly admired,” says Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. “He chaired License This! from day one and was a massive advocate for making the sector accessible to everyone, particularly new blood with exciting ideas. He was so generous with his time – not only through the judging process – but also with the mentoring he offered the finalists and winners, that it seems only fitting it’s now known as the Kelvyn Gardner License This! Competition.”
BLE has added a third award category in partnership with Mojo Nation to provide a springboard for inventors and designers keen to break into the sector. Applicants for the product design category will submit a design for a desktop product, such as a mouse, coffee mug, desk tidy or USB stick, drawing inspiration from Aardman’s IP, “Morph.” Further details on how to apply for this category can be found at Brandlicensing.eu or by emailing [email protected]
The team has also unveiled this year’s judging line up, featuring several new faces, as well as the welcome return of Start Licensing director Ian Downes, who is stepping into the enormous shoes left by former chair Kelvyn Gardner.
• Ian Downes, director, Start Licensing – chair;
• Phil King, managing director, Trademark Products;