Five finalists have been chosen for the Character & Animation category, while three have been selected for the Brand & Design category.
Eight talented 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.
There are five brands shortlisted in the Character & Animation category and three battling it out for the Brand & Design award. The final will take place in the License Global Theatre at BLE at 1pm on Thursday 3rd October.
The five Character & Animation finalists are: Adorabubbles, Carrot and Toast, Slime Fury (Argentina), My Little Opera and Noodoll. The three Brand & Design finalists are: Orange and Lilly (Hungary), Owlasanas and Minu’ Tiny Little Wonders (Italy).
This year’s License This! winners will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2020, one year’s Licensing International membership, 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 Design, are both exhibitors at BLE 2019 and can be found in the Art, Design & Image zone.
This year’s judges have been confirmed as: Kelvyn Gardner, managing director, Licensing International (chair), Sarah Ward, CEO, Giftware Association, and Victor Caddy, partner, Wynne-Jones IP. This year’s specialist Character & Entertainment award judges are Dan Grant, director of licensing at Danilo Promotions, Nikki Samuels, licensing director at Sambro, Clare Piggott, director of Larkshead Media, and Julia Redman, head of buying at M&Co. The Brand & Design award judges are: Stuart Cox, founder of I Like Birds, Vicki Thomas, owner of Vicki Thomas Associates, Sarah Lawrence, owner of This is Iris, Jehane Boden Spiers, founder of Jehane, and Will Stewart, managing director at The Point 1888.
BLE 2019 takes place at Excel London from 1st-3rd October. Register for free here.
