Licensing Expo’s License This! Competition Entries Open

Entries have opened for Licensing Expo’s License This! competition that helps designers, illustrators and animators break into the $292 billion global licensing industry. The competition launched 12 years ago in Europe and premiered in the U.S. in 2021 as part of Licensing Expo Virtual. This year, for the first time, the finale will take place in person in front of a live audience of manufacturers, retailers and brand owners and the judging panel on May 26.  

Licensing Expo, which is run in partnership with industry trade association Licensing International, is the world’s largest licensing trade show and takes place in person at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas May 24-26.  

Through its two categories – Character & Animation and Brand & Design – the License This! competition aims to give unlicensed brands from across the globe a welcome leg up into the world of licensing and consumer products by helping them secure new deals or agent representation. The contest is open to any artwork, brand or character with no merchandising deals already in place or pending. 

The competition is free to enter online and the cut-off date is March 25. The judges are looking for new, creative concepts which have the potential to be applied across multiple product categories. 

"License This! does a fantastic job of bringing together innovation and opportunity by helping designers, illustrators and animators to succeed in the wonderful world of licensing,” says Steven Ekstract, licensing industry veteran and judge for the competition. “The creativity of last year's License This! entrants was a joy to behold, so I'm really looking forward to viewing this year's entries and meeting the finalists in person at Licensing Expo for the first time in May." 

Each category winner will receive: 

Last year’s winners – Emily Blumenthal and Lindsay Kaye Lippman’s The Charmsters (Character & Animation), Xavier Smith’s Kujifunza Kids (Brand & Design) and Lawrence Canada, The Goodie Jar – will be exhibiting at Licensing Expo.  

“We at the Goodie Jar are excited to have been chosen as the License This! winner,” says Lawrence Canada, The Goodie Jar. “This is a ‘dream’ coming to fruition. We look forward to the opportunities and experiences that accompany this accomplishment at the Licensing Expo 2022.” 

Enter the competition here and register for Licensing Expo here.