NEWS

License This! reveals senior exec judging panel with Crayola, Bioworld, and PowerStation Studios among panel

Published on: 16th July 2021

Global Licensing Group and Licensing International have revealed the full line-up of judges to be presiding over this year’s License This! as the competition prepares to make its US market debut at Licensing Expo Virtual next month.

A list of 18 senior executives from all corners of the licensing industry make up this year’s panel, including those from world-renowned companies and licensing agencies, such as Bioworld Merchandising, Boat Rocker Studio, Crayola, Hallmark, PowerStation Studios, Redbubble and more.

In addition, the competition will welcome its event partner InventHelp and its official sponsor, WestEnd Software.

After 12 consecutive years running at Brand Licensing Europe, License This! is now a global competition with this year’s debut in the US market at Licensing Expo Virtual, held August 24th to 26th.

“Industry connection is mission-critical in the licensing sector, and the License This! program provides just that: accessibility to a bench of the world’s most influential licensing executives,” said Anna Knight, vice president of Licensing, Informa Markets.

“We are so proud of the doors that the program has opened for creatives and inventors over the past 12 years. Many of our former winners have gone on to produce world-class products and licensing campaigns; we love seeing winners and participants return to our annual events as exhibitors to watch.”

Submit an entry here to compete to win the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from 18 of the world’s most influential licensing executives; the call for submissions closes on July 19. Attendees of Brand Licensing Europe and Licensing Expo Virtual can tune into the live final held on August 25 —register to attend the free event here.

“Combining licensed content with product conceptualization creates new, robust innovation in technologies and play patterns that result in powerful consumer experiences,” shared Joe Moll, Director of Product Design, Engineering and Inventor Relations at Crayola and responsible for building an innovative and unique pipeline of Crayola products through cross-functional internal ideation and partnering with the external inventor community.

“As a product developer, I am very excited to be a judge at the License This! event this year, and look forward to reviewing the innovative entries and learning how we can best bridge the gap between product inventions and licensing opportunities.”

The competition is made up of three different categories:
⦁ License This! Character & Animation
⦁ License This! Brand & Design
⦁ License This! Inventions & Product Innovations – produced in association with InventHelp

The Character & Animation and Brand & Design categories are aimed at unlicensed brands and properties looking to use the Licensing Expo Virtual platform to secure a licensing deal or agency representation. The applicants are usually illustrator/publishing/animation focused.

The Inventions & Product Innovation category is about tangible product inventions (that are patented or patent-pending) or innovative product designs that would benefit from licensing, either through in-bound (i.e., putting a character on it to enhance it) or out-bound to a manufacturer (i.e., a wearables item that is licensed by a mass manufacturer from the inventor).

The competition provides select illustrators, designers, animators, and product inventors, the exciting opportunity to pitch their concepts in front of a panel of expert judges. This is then broadcast live during Licensing Expo Virtual to an audience of manufacturers, retailers, and brand owners.

“With thousands of IPs available and new products launched almost daily, it can be very challenging to stand out in this highly competitive industry. License This! provides a leg up above the competition and helps you hone your craft from an idea into a successful, marketable product,” said Knight.

Important dates to note:

⦁ Entries close: Monday, July 19
⦁ Judging day: Friday, July 23
⦁ Competition pre-record: Friday, August 13
⦁ Live finals: Wednesday, August 25

The winner receives the following prize:

⦁ One-to-one consultation with members of the judging panel and competition sponsor WestEnd Software
⦁ Exclusively to the winner of the ‘Inventions & Product Innovations’ category one-to-one consultation with InventHelp
⦁ Free-of-charge turnkey booth at Licensing Expo 2022
⦁ One year’s Licensing International membership
⦁ One year’s Products of Change membership

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