Winners of Licensing Expo’s License This! competition announced

Licensing Expo, the world’s largest trade show connecting the $292 billion global licensing industry, hosted the live finale of the License This! competition yesterday where select illustrators, designers, and animators had the opportunity to pitch their concepts in front of a panel of expert judges. Catoms: Atoms with Attitude, designed by Kieche Meleson O’Connell, was selected as the winner of the Character & Animation category, and Stef “Sharky” Shultz won the Brand & Design category with Hunnie Bumble and Friends.

The two winners of the competition, sponsored by Flowhaven, presented alongside four other fellow finalists to an audience of Licensing Expo registered guests and world-renowned experts in the licensing industry. Each winner takes home a highly regarded grand prize package including:

  • Free-of-charge 100 square foot booth at Licensing Expo 2023 worth $2,500
  • One-year Licensing International membership worth $1,000 for a small business
  • One-year Products of Change membership, worth up to $450 for a small business
  • One-to-one consultation with License This! judges

Details of the winning projects are as follows:

Character & Animation

  • Catoms: Atoms with Attitude – Kieche Meleson O’Connell
    “I took the periodic table and made each element into a cat that represents its unique scientific qualities in the form of coat patterns, superpowers, and personalities,” says Kieche. “The Catoms universe offers fun stories where the characters take you through the mysterious and often invisible world of chemistry but from the Catom’s point of view. Catoms are essentially edutainment. The characters and stories are engaging but based on scientific fact, so they are indirectly teaching real science.”

Brand & Design

  • Hunnie Bumble and Friends – Stef “Sharky” Schultz
    “Hunnie Bumble is a whimsical queen bee who lives in a colourful world comfortably far from our own reality – along with her husband “Hubbie Bumble” and all of their friends,” says Stef. “Buzzing with adorable antics, absurdly zany humour, and with new friends being introduced all the time, Hunnie Bumble and Friends will always keep it cute, adventurous and zany on the countless adventures to be had – from cooking and hide-and-go-seek, all the way to skydiving, rock climbing, spelunking… and whatever else they feel like in the next five minutes!”

“Congratulations to our winners,” said Anna Knight, SVP of the Global Licensing Group, organisers of Licensing Expo. “It’s new creators and out-of-the-box thinkers like Kieche and Stef that keep our dynamic industry fresh and imaginative. Each of the finalists brought amazing ideas to the table and will be the next IPs to watch over the coming years.”

The judging panel consisted of nine senior executives representing industry-leading brands: License Global magazine, Flowhaven, Licensing International, Global Licensing Advisors, Boat Rocker Studio, PowerStation Studios, Redbubble, Lisa Mark Associates, and Product Counsel. Following each on-stage presentation, judges asked questions and shared actionable feedback to help the designers, animators, and creators hone their designs and ideas as they bring products to market. Feedback spanned how to pin down their core audience to working with retailers.

“I am speechless,” said Kieche Meleson O’Connell of her win. “I was not expecting it, to be honest; I am a chemist by trade and have been trying to switch into this creative world. When I first came to Licensing Expo, even though I was super excited, I did feel like a fish out of water, so it’s nice to see that people recognise Catoms: Atoms with Attitude as a good project.”

“I’m so incredibly honoured to win – it was a pleasure and such a great opportunity,” said Stef “Sharky” Schultz. “I’m very thankful and want to use this brand to bring change to the world. There’s a niche that Hunnie Bunnie and Friends supports, bringing awareness to how we recycle and that there is such a division in care. I want everyone to have access to good things; I want people to have opportunities to have access to and afford sustainable things and drive up the demand for sustainable recycled materials. Hunnie Bunnie and Friends is this catalyst!”

Other finalists in the License This! competition who presented on-stage at Licensing Expo include:

Character & Animation

  • I want to be a baller-ina – Finalist Cherie Mays
  • Sunny The Apathetic Bunny – Finalist Claire Schechinger

Brand & Design

  • Game Toy – Finalist Alexandre Silva
  • Monsters & Martians – Finalist Ken Reil

 

Entries are invited for Licensing Expo’s License This! competition

Entries are now open for Licensing Expo’s License This! competition, which aims to help designers, illustrators and animators break into the $292 billion global licensing industry.
The competition launched 12 years ago in Europe and premiered in the US 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 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 is taking place in person at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from May 24–26, 2022.
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 competition is free to enter online; the cut-off date is Friday, March 25, and the judges are looking for new, creative concepts that have the potential to be applied across multiple product categories.
Judge Steven Ekstract says: “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. 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:
·       A free-of-charge 100 sq ft booth at Licensing Expo 2023, worth $2,500
·       One-year Licensing International membership, worth $1,000 for a small business
·       One-year Products of Change membership, worth up to $450 for a small business
·       One-to-one consultation with the License This! judges
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.

Licensing Expo to return to Las Vegas in May 2022

Brand Licensing Europe announces 2021 Kelvyn Gardner License This! shortlist

Brand Licensing Europe has unveiled the nine finalists who will battle it out to win one of three Kelvyn Gardner License This! awards. BLE takes place in person from 17-19 November at ExCeL London followed by an online event running from 30 November to 1 December. It’s free to register at www.brandlicensing.eu.

There are three categories for 2021, including a brand-new Product Design award launched in partnership with Mojo Nation, where designers have been tasked to invent a desktop accessory inspired by Aardman’s Morph IP. The Character & Animation and Brand & Design categories are both aimed at unlicensed brands and properties and judges look for new creative concepts which have the potential to spread across multiple product categories.

Chair of the judging panel, Ian Downes, director Start Licensing, says: “The standard of entries this year for the Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition was very high. It was encouraging to see so many original ideas and concepts. The entrants put a lot of effort into the competition crafting some compelling entries and it was tough to draw up a shortlist. Based on the quality of entries it is clear that there is no shortage of creativity in and around licensing at the moment and the industry can be assured there is plenty of fresh thinking going on.”

The nine finalists are:

  1. Brand & Design Category:
  • Pencil & TIE® are the best of friends who live in Shibuya, Tokyo. Pencil, a graphic designer, is never seen without his pencil. Tie is his one-footed, cheeky friend (and a tie).
    Designer Mark creates onefold and witty stationery, which manifests itself in the (paper) product design and/or the illustration(s) used. With a lifelong passion for stationery, years of design experience for A-list brands and an attachment to Japanese culture, Pencil & TIE produces lovable and sustainable stationery products in its lab in the Netherlands.
  • Sophie Jonas-Hill and Tea for Tattoo, which brings together two great British passions – drinking tea and getting tattooed! Tea for tattoo is a series of hand-drawn motifs which bring together the colour palette and style of traditional blue and white ceramics, with the aesthetic and cheeky edge of old school tattoos. It’s distinctive because it carries Sophie’s unique hand drawn stamp, created by drawing separate parts of each image on tracing paper and then layering them together to create the look of glazed ceramic.
  • Aline Cervo – Aline Bea is a surface pattern designer, illustrator and digital nomad. Inspired by nature, simple things in life, and her own journey, she draws everything from flowers to buildings and abstract compositions. The stories embedded in her designs talk about bravery, courage, love and connection, about noticing the details, and abundance and presence. The beauty of being alive and enjoying every moment is what she expects to imprint on the world with her designs and products.
  1. Character & Animation Category:
  • Els Morris – Els Doodles: Rosie Roars’ is an illustrated little one’s story book. Rosie is three and her favourite animal is a lion, she even wants to be one when she grows up. Her family helps her to discover different animals and she decides that being a ‘buzzy, hopping, rainbow roaring me’ is the perfect person to be. This book teaches little ones that it’s good to celebrate who we are, while learning about others along the way.
  • Stacy Moore – Eat Dirt: Eat Dirt is a series of humorous stories and poems for children aged 2-5 years old, designed to inspire a love of veggies, gardening, and outdoor play, served up with a big dose of pure silliness. It is rich with bright colour and pint-sized humour to help foster creativity, inspire movement, encourage play and garden activity, and stimulate little brains for healthy growth. The lovable main characters include Grumpy Bean and his seven vegetable friends, plus the Green Thumb Chums and Toad.
  • Joel Mercer – SeedFolk. SeedFolk has been developed by the innovative creative team behind Seedlings Cards & Gifts; a lovable range of characters, who care for our native habitats and wildflower seeds. Joel says: “Unbeknownst to human eyes, there is a hidden world of little folk who guard and tend to our wildflowers and seeds. They are the SeedFolk, and this story follows adventures led by Yarrow, a courageous young wizard, and his dependable friend Buttercup, along with friends Mari and her little sister Gold, Clover and Bumble, the wise old Snowdrop, and the king’s daughter, Cornflower – as they set out to protect our native wildflowers.”
  1. Product Design Category
  • Jon Morse – Tomato Source
  • Chris de Junien – Imagine8
  • Wayne Lindsay – Imaginnovation

The three designers in this category will pitch their concepts to the judges during the live final on Friday 19 November.

Just 4 days left to enter the Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition at BLE

There are just four days left for designers, illustrators, animators and inventors to enter this year’s Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition at Brand Licensing Europe. It’s an incredible opportunity to get a foot in the door of the $292 billion global licensing industry.

There are three award categories available to enter this year:

  • Character & Animation
  • Brand & Design
  • Product Design using Aardman Animations’ Morph as inspiration

The competition is totally free to enter, and the three winners will receive promotional space at Brand Licensing Europe 2022, valuable advice from industry experts, and annual membership of trade association Licensing International and sustainability education hub Products of Change.

Entries close on 11 October.

Diversity and innovation celebrated as Licensing Expo Virtual’s License This! crowns its 2021 winners

An animated brand with diversity at its centre, a refillable snack jar, and a children’s animation that brings African and African American culture to the super hero sector have each been named the winners of the inaugural US version of the popular License This! competition.

Held during this past week’s Licensing Expo Virtual – which ran from August 24th to 26th – License This! in partnership with InventHelp, is a global competition that culminated at the online trade event, by providing select illustrators, designers, animators, and product inventors the chance to pitch their concepts to a panel of expert judges.

Spanning three categories in its online format, including Character and Animation, Brand and Design, and Innovations and Product Innovation, the live finale is now available to watch via the Licensing Expo Virtual platform. It witnessed finalists making their pitch to a panel of licensing experts, who then deliberated over this year’s winners.

a staple of London’s Brand Licensing Europe trade show, this marks the first time that the License This! competition has been held for the US licensing industry.

The winners of the inaugural US version of the License This! competition, are:

License This! Character & Animation winners:

  • Emily Blumenthal & Lindsay Kaye Lippman, The Charmsters, a diversity-based animation brand. 

License This! Brand & Design winner:

License This! Innovations & Product Innovation winner:

The License This! competition’s 2021 judging panel comprised of 18 senior executives from every corner of the industry, including Bioworld Merchandising, Boat Rocker Studio, Crayola, FYE, Hallmark, Licensing International, Lisa Mark Associates, Product Counsel, PowerStation Studios and Redbubble, in addition to partner InventHelp and official sponsor WestEnd Software.

“We at the Goodie Jar are excited to have been chosen as a License This! winner,” said 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 Licensing Expo.”

Fellow License This! winner Xavier Smith, added: “Winning License This! is an exciting and epic opportunity for The Kujifunza Kids brand and the II Tribes Entertainment family! We look forward to all opportunities from this wonderful experience.”

Finally, founder Emily Blumenthal, and creative director Lindsay Kaye Lippman, of Kanvas Brands, said: “We are excited to win the Character & Animation category for the License This! Competition. We believe this will bring awareness and opportunities to The Charmsters, a diversity-based animation brand rooted in joy, inclusivity and girl empowerment.

“We are grateful to the industry for giving us this platform to introduce our mission and female founded brand and look forward to what happens next.”

This year’s License This! winners receiveone-to-one consultation with members of the judging panel and competition sponsor WestEnd Software, free-of-charge turnkey booth at Licensing Expo 2022, one-year Licensing International membership, one-year Products of Change membership and – exclusively to the winner of the ‘Inventions & Product Innovations’ category – one-to-one consultation with InventHelp.

“I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this year’s panel,” said Steven Ekstract, managing director of Global Licensing Advisors and Chair of the License This! Judges. “We are really excited to announce the winners and wish them all the very best of luck.”

Brand Licensing Europe’s (BLE) popular License This! competition, which has been running for over a decade, is now open for entries and announces a new third award category, the Inventions & Product Innovations category.

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

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

Licensing Expo Virtual details ‘most robust educational agenda to date’ ahead of next month’s online event

Retail education, sustainability clinics, and a keynote from senior executives from Warner Bros. Consumer Products make up just a fraction of the agenda for this year’s Licensing Expo Virtual, taking place August 24th to 26th in an online format.

Celebrating 40 years… yes, 40, of connecting IP owners with retailers, manufacturers, and licensees, Licensing Expo Virtual will feature what it has billed as ‘the most robust educational agenda to date.’ What’s more, visitor registration for the event next month is free of charge.

This year’s event features the return of Licensing U, produced by Licensing International, the US market debut of License This!, and an opening keynote address from senior executives at Warner Bros. Consumer Products, plus the launch of Digital Brand Roadshows, Retail Clinics, Sustainability Clinics produced in partnership with Products of Change.

“We are so excited to reveal this year’s agenda as we tailor-made each offering to mirror the industry’s most pressing and ever-changing needs,” said Anna Knight, vice president of Licensing, Informa Markets.

“As a result of extensive conversations with our exhibitor and attendee community, we have devised the strongest agenda to date that is geared toward inciting collaboration, drawing hundreds of IP to the forefront, and addressing the challenges our attendee-base faces daily.”

The agenda will split into live and on-demand content and include:

LIVE SESSIONS

Digital Brand Roadshows: New to Licensing Expo, the Digital Brand Roadshows aim to highlight compelling brands and IP through an exciting collection of exhibitor case studies linked via a common theme, spotlighted in panel conversations broadcast live at the event. Categories for the 2021 event include:

  • Collaborations and Partnerships
  • New Exhibitors to the Event
  • Heritage and Nostalgia
  • The Live Experience
  • Animation and Anime
  • Licensing Around the World

Sustainability Clinics: Also new to the 2021 agenda are the Sustainability Clinics made possible by partner Products of Change, a global educational hub to drive sustainable change across consumer product markets and beyond. Attendees have the opportunity to participate in 30-minute clinics with experts from Products of Change to garner personalized advice on how to improve their current approach and gain a deeper understanding of what other players are doing in the licensing industry.

Retail Education & Ask Me Anything Sessions: Licensing Expo Virtual will offer Retail Clinics comprised of tailored educational sessions provided free of charge for all retailers. “Our intention with Retail Clinics is to ease the challenge of keeping up with and understanding key trends, helping retailers meet a range of licensing experts and gain the inspiration required to introduce licensing into retailer’s strategy,” commented Knight. Education sessions will include:

  • On-demand: Sessions on future trends, category-specific brand licensing case studies, and licensing 101 for retailers.
  • Live Broadcast: Ask Me Anything sessions where a panel of brand licensing experts will be on hand to answer any questions you have about brand licensing and retail. Questions can be submitted live or in advance and can remain anonymous.

Keynote Address: Senior executives from Warner Bros. Consumer Products will deliver the opening keynote address entitled “Unlocking the Fan Power of Global Franchises,” moderated by License Global magazine’s content director Amanda Cioletti. To tune into the address on August 24 at 11:00 a.m. EDT/8:00 a.m. PDT presented by Pam Lifford, president, global brands and experiences, WarnerMedia, and Robert Oberschelp, senior vice president, global franchise management and brand product, Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

License This! Finale: On Day 2 of the event, attendees can be a part of the License This! competition finale, a global initiative produced in partnership with Licensing International and InventHelp that provides select illustrators, designers, animators, and product inventors, the exciting opportunity to pitch their concepts online in front of a panel of expert judges.

ON-DEMAND SESSIONS

GLG Educational Content: Attendees can enjoy on-demand content produced by License Global, which will go live two weeks before the event and spotlight various industry categories, including:

  • Changing the Channel: The Evolution of Kids’ Content
  • Ordering Up: How F&B is Feeding Limited Edition Drops
  • Untapped Potential: How Mobile Gaming is Gearing Up for Big Change
  • Collectibles – Who’s Collecting What Now?
  • WTF is an NFT???!!

Licensing U: A Licensing Expo staple produced by Licensing International, Licensing U supports brand licensing newcomers and those interested in honing their expertise. This year’s educational offering will span three tracks:

  1. Basics, offering an essential introduction to how the licensing industry works
  2. Spotlights, providing insight into the latest topics and trends in key segments
  3. Tactics and Strategies, offering insight into the topics and trends impacting the brand licensing industry

A selection of Basics sessions includes:

  • Basics of International Licensing: A licensing program that operates in more than one country requires a specific set of considerations that can involve such aspects as financial, regulatory, and legal systems, cultural considerations, retail structures, and many others.
  • What You Need to Know About Royalty Rates: Find out how royalty rates are determined, what brand owners and licensees need to be thinking about when they’re being discussed, as well as the implications of the array of structures under which they’re calculated.
  • Developing a Retail Plan: A key element of any licensing effort to create a strategy for getting products to (and through) retail. Attendees will gain perspectives on how to understand the differences among various kinds of retailers, figure out their hot buttons, and match property or product lines to the appropriate targets.

A selection of Tactics and Strategies sessions includes:

  • The Future of NFTs: It might be the hottest topic in the business, with implications for corporate brands, sports, entertainment, celebrities, art – literally every category in licensing. What’s the state of the business, and where is it all headed? Experts will provide perspective.
  • Sustainability Strategies: Environmental responsibility is on the minds of an ever-growing number of consumers. Manufacturers and brand owners in all product categories need to address those concerns—a look at the latest thinking on sustainable sourcing and other topics.
  • Confronting Supply Chain Challenges: The pandemic didn’t just disrupt consumer behavior; it also sparked a significant disruption in manufacturing, shipping, and all aspects of getting new products to market in a cost-effective and timely way. How have things changed, and what’s the outlook for the future?

Attendees can secure their Licensing U Pass from just $88 for one track or $156 for the All-Access Pass by booking before July 23 to take advantage of the 20 per cent Early Bird discount. Licensing International members benefit from an additional 10 per cent discount.

For a full download of the 2021 Licensing Expo Virtual agenda, visit here. All sessions will remain available on-demand for three months after the live event ends.

BLE’s License This! adds new category, expands into US, and appoints Ian Downes as chair

Brand Licensing Europe’s popular License This! competition is now opens for entries, as it welcomes a new third award category, courtesy of Mojo Nation, as well as its expansion into the US market.

License This! has been helping brands and designers to break into the licensing industry for over a decade and now, thanks to the launch of the all-new Inventions & Product Innovations category in partnership with Mojo Nation, it will provide a springboard for inventors keen to break into the sector, too.

The competition will also debut in the US market this year at Licensing Expo Virtual, with the same three categories open to entrants from both Europe and the US:

  1. License This! Character & Animation
  2. License This! Brand & Design
  3. License This! Inventions & Product Innovations

The Character & Animation and Brand & Design categories are both aimed at unlicensed brands and properties looking to use the platform to secure a licensing deal or agency representation. Judges are looking for new creative concepts which have the potential to spread across multiple product categories. Typically, applicants are illustrator, publishing, or animation focused.

Meanwhile, 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.

Judging is based on the invention’s product design uniqueness, brand-ability of the product, and presentation and pitch of the submission video. All three categories will take sustainability into consideration for the very first time.

The European judging panel will be chaired by Start Licensing managing director Ian Downes who takes over from licensing industry legend Kelvyn Gardner, who sadly passed away at the start of the year.

Anna Knight, VP of licensing, Informa Markets, said: “Discovery and creativity are pillars of the Brand Licensing Europe and Licensing Expo trade shows, both of which are foundational to the License This! programme. By expanding the programme geographically and demographically we want to drive new artists, illustrators and product inventors into the industry on a global scale providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to mark their place in the licensing industry.

“I also want to take this opportunity to welcome Ian as our new chairman in Europe. Filling Kelvyn’s shoes isn’t going to be easy, but we know he’ll do an amazing job.”

Ian Downes added: “License This! is a great initiative and is now firmly established as part of the licensing calendar. Licensing needs new ideas and fresh creativity to flourish. License This! provides a great platform for people to engage with the licensing world and to start building a network within it.

“I am delighted to be involved in the competition again and look forward to reviewing the entries. I am sure there will be some exciting new concepts to review. I thoroughly recommend it to the creative community.”

The winners from each category will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2022, one-on-one consultation with members of the judging panel, and free one year memberships to Licensing International and Products of Change.

Previous License This! entrants, both winners and finalists, have gone on to sign successful licensing agreements.

The 2016 winner Charlotte Reed, May The Thoughts Be With You, said: “Since winning, I signed with licensing agent Clare Piggott, and we have since signed three major deals and the May The Thoughts Be With You range from Half Moon Bay was a finalist in the gifting category at the 2020 Licensing Awards.”

Entry into License This! is free and open now online https://www.brandlicensing.eu/en/learn-brand-licensing/license-competition.html. Closing date is Monday 11 October at 5pm.

BLE’s License This! adds new category, expands into US, and appoints Ian Downes as chair

Brand Licensing Europe’s popular License This! competition is now opens for entries, as it welcomes a new third award category, courtesy of Mojo Nation, as well as its expansion into the US market.

License This! has been helping brands and designers to break into the licensing industry for over a decade and now, thanks to the launch of the all-new Inventions & Product Innovations category in partnership with Mojo Nation, it will provide a springboard for inventors keen to break into the sector, too.

The competition will also debut in the US market this year at Licensing Expo Virtual, with the same three categories open to entrants from both Europe and the US:

  1. License This! Character & Animation
  2. License This! Brand & Design
  3. License This! Inventions & Product Innovations

The Character & Animation and Brand & Design categories are both aimed at unlicensed brands and properties looking to use the platform to secure a licensing deal or agency representation. Judges are looking for new creative concepts which have the potential to spread across multiple product categories. Typically, applicants are illustrator, publishing, or animation focused.

Meanwhile, 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.

Judging is based on the invention’s product design uniqueness, brand-ability of the product, and presentation and pitch of the submission video. All three categories will take sustainability into consideration for the very first time.

The European judging panel will be chaired by Start Licensing managing director Ian Downes who takes over from licensing industry legend Kelvyn Gardner, who sadly passed away at the start of the year.

Anna Knight, VP of licensing, Informa Markets, said: “Discovery and creativity are pillars of the Brand Licensing Europe and Licensing Expo trade shows, both of which are foundational to the License This! programme. By expanding the programme geographically and demographically we want to drive new artists, illustrators and product inventors into the industry on a global scale providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to mark their place in the licensing industry.

“I also want to take this opportunity to welcome Ian as our new chairman in Europe. Filling Kelvyn’s shoes isn’t going to be easy, but we know he’ll do an amazing job.”

Ian Downes added: “License This! is a great initiative and is now firmly established as part of the licensing calendar. Licensing needs new ideas and fresh creativity to flourish. License This! provides a great platform for people to engage with the licensing world and to start building a network within it.

“I am delighted to be involved in the competition again and look forward to reviewing the entries. I am sure there will be some exciting new concepts to review. I thoroughly recommend it to the creative community.”

The winners from each category will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2022, one-on-one consultation with members of the judging panel, and free one year memberships to Licensing International and Products of Change.

Previous License This! entrants, both winners and finalists, have gone on to sign successful licensing agreements.

The 2016 winner Charlotte Reed, May The Thoughts Be With You, said: “Since winning, I signed with licensing agent Clare Piggott, and we have since signed three major deals and the May The Thoughts Be With You range from Half Moon Bay was a finalist in the gifting category at the 2020 Licensing Awards.”

Entry into License This! is free and open now online https://www.brandlicensing.eu/en/learn-brand-licensing/license-competition.html. Closing date is Monday 11 October at 5pm.

Tracey Colliston’s Owls’ Nest and George Mackay’s Eejits win Festival of Licensing’s License This! competition

The winners of this year’s all virtual License This! competition have been declared, with the grand prizes being handed to the Lancashire-based Tracey Colliston in the Brand & Design category, and George Mackay from Caithness in Scotland in Character & Animation.

It was Colliston’s sentimental Owls’ Nest illustrations of British woodland creatures that won over the judges of the Brand & Design category, celebrating the designs that can currently be found on a line of gifts and greetings cards. Mackay’s Eejits brand took the win in Character & Animation for turning heads with its menagerie of misfortunate misfits born in the Highlands of Scotland.

Tracey Colliston’s Owl’s Nest greetings cards and handmade gifts are currently stocked in over 80 independent retailers across the UK and she would love to see her illustrations licensed across many more categories. 

Tracey Colliston’s Owls’ Nest took home the Brand & Design win

“Winning License This! feels fantastic!,” said Colliston. “I absolutely love what I do, and it means so much to me that the hard work developing Owl’s Nest into a brand has been recognised. I’m very excited about the opportunities this may bring, and I’m keen to develop Owl’s Nest into lots of other products; stationery, ceramics and homeware, baby and nursery and more gift products. The versatility of Owl’s Nest and its collectability will hopefully open up many avenues. It’s so exciting!”

Mackay’s Eejits also currently feature on greetings cards and the creator has equally big ambitions for reaching a much bigger audience. 

An eejit is an idiot, a fool, a gormless ignoramus,” he explained. “Born in the Highlands of Scotland, these weird and wonderful creatures are even rarer than the famous haggis. Due to their incredibly stupid nature and natural curiosity, they have now been collected together for their own safety. A curious collection of creatures gathered together for the world to see.

“The eejits are primarily aimed at seven to 12 year olds, as well as big kids (like me). Their quirky nature, the charming art style and sometimes slightly self-deprecating humour is a draw to kids, and I think they would be ideal for a wide range of products such as soft plush or vinyl toys, but the ultimate dream would be to see the brand feature in hilariously humorous animated shorts. That’s the BIG goal of mine. Seeing the eejits brand on screen would be simply awesome.”

This year’s two License This! winners will receive a free exhibition stand at Brand Licensing Europe 2021, one year’s membership of industry trade association Licensing International, PR support, and invaluable advice from the panel of industry experts.

In addition, all finalists will receive legal consultation from competition sponsor Wynne-Jones. 

This year’s judges were: 

  • Kelvyn Gardner, Managing Director, Asgard Media (Chair Of The Judging Panel)
  • Sarah Ward, CEO, The Giftware Association 
  • Kirsty Barr, Grapevine PR
  • Sonia Amrar, Trademark Attorney, Wynne-Jones

Character & Animation award

    • Dan Grant, Licensing Director, Danilo Promotions
    • Clare Piggott, Managing Director, Larkshead Media
    • Ben Woodman, Commercial Manager, GB Eye Ltd            
    • Ian Downes, Director, Start Licensing
    • Nico Franks, Editor, C21 Kids 

Brand & Design award

  • Stuart Cox, owner, I Like Birds
  • Vicki Thomas, owner, Vicki Thomas Associates  
  • Sarah Lawrence, director, This is Iris  
  • Jehane Boden Spiers, founder, JEHANE Ltd
  • Will Stewart, founder and managing director, The Point.1888

Character & Animation judge, Ben Woodman said: “I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this year’s judging panel. It’s always exciting to see new properties and brands. I would like to wish George the very best of luck and I certainly hope that we can see him make that transition into the mainstream consumer market.”

 Brand & Design judge, Will Stewart added: “I thoroughly enjoyed being invited to judge the License This! competition again this year. Despite all the challenges of lockdown, the quality of the entries was outstanding once again. This competition provides a huge opportunity for anyone to pivot their career to focus on something they are passionate about: imagine making a living out of something you love!”

 Last year’s winners – Rosie Brooks and Drew Bristow (Carrot & Toast) – are both exhibitors at BLE 2020 and can be found online at www.festivaloflicensing.com.