Five brands have been shortlisted in the Character & Animation category and three are battling it out for the Brand & Design award.

License Global

October 25, 2019

3 Min Read

Eight exciting entrepreneurs have been shortlisted for this year’s Brand Licensing Europe License This! final following a record number of entries and an intense judging day last week in London, U.K.

Five brands are shortlisted in the Character & Animation category, and three are battling it out for the Brand & Design award. The final will take place in the License Global Theatre at BLE at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Character & Animation finalists are:

  • Adorabubbles;

  • Carrot and Toast;

  • Slime Fury (Argentina);

  • My Little Opera and

  • Noodoll.

Brand & Design finalists are:

  • Orange and Lilly (Hungary);

  • Owlasanas and

  • MINU’ Tiny Little Wonders (Italy).

“Having been part of the judging panel for the past three years, it was really pleasing to see some new and varied proposals in the character and animation category,” says Dan Grant, licensing director, Danilo. “We had a great selection of properties to judge this year from all around the world, which shows how much exposure this event is now receiving. From the long list of entries, we have been able to nominate five character and animation properties for the final that all have something different and exciting to offer. It’s now down to the finalists to convince the panel why their property should win the prize, and I’m really looking forward to judging the final.”

This year’s License This! winners will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2020, one year’s Licensing International membership and PR support and advice from a panel of industry experts. Finalists will also receive legal consultation from competition sponsor Wynne-Jones. Previous entrants–both winners and finalists–have also signed lucrative agent and licensing deals off the back of the competition. Last year’s winners–Zara Picken and Sara Burman Designs–are both exhibitors at BLE 2019 and can be found in the Art, Design & Image zone.

“Early September now brings a great new regular feature of licensing life for me: my first look at the submissions to the annual License This! Competition,” says Kelvyn Gardner, chair and managing director, Licensing International U.K. “The contest has evolved as a filter for genuine new licensing talent, not just from the U.K. but with a great international dimension. We have responded by now offering two categories–character & animation and brand & design–which in turn, has boosted entry numbers and quality. With past winners and finalists now having launched successful licensing programmes, License This! really is the place to go if you’re looking for your start.”

This year’s judges are:

  • Kelvyn Gardner, chair and managing director, Licensing International;

  • Sarah Ward, chief executive officer, Giftware Association and

  • Victor Caddy, partner, Wynne-Jones.

Character & Entertainment Award Judges are:                                                                  

  • Dan Grant, director, licensing, Danilo Promotions;

  • Nikki Samuels, licensing director, Sambro;             

  • Clare Piggott, director, Larkshead Media and

  • Julia Redman, head of buying, M&Co.

Brand & Design Award Judges are:                                                             

  • Stuart Cox, founder, I Like Birds;

  • Vicki Thomas, owner, Vicki Thomas Associates;                 

  • Sarah Lawrence, owner, This is Iris;           

  • Jehane Boden Spiers, founder, Jehane and

  • Will Stewart, managing director, The Point.1888.

BLE 2019 takes place at ExCeL London from Oct.1-3. Register for free at the BLE website.

About the Author(s)

License Global

License Global is the leading news source for the brand licensing industry, delivering award-winning editorial content including news, trends, analysis, and special reports about the global consumer product and retail marketplace.

Through its print edition, website, daily e-newsletter and event publications, License Global reaches more than 150,000 executives and professionals in all major markets. The magazine also serves as the official publication for the sector’s trade events, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo Shanghai and the Licensing Leadership Summit.

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