Giftware Association’s Sarah Ward and Wynne-Jones’ Victor Caddy join judging panel.
Applications are now being accepted for License This! 2019 – the annual competition which is held at Brand Licensing Europe and helps entrepreneurial brand owners break into the licensing business.
The competition features two award categories: Character & Animation and Brand & Design. There is no limit to the number of brands who enter, but six finalists will be chosen at the judging day on September 5 to pitch against one another live at BLE, which takes place between October 1-3 at ExCeL.
The two winners will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2020, one year’s Licensing International membership, PR support and advice from a panel of experts.
Closing date for entries is August 29, 2019. The application form can be found by clicking here.
Two new judges have joined the panel, which is chaired by Licensing International’s UK md Kelvyn Gardner, for 2019 – Sarah Ward, chief executive of the Giftware Association and Victor Caddy, director, trade mark and design partner at License This sponsor, Wynne-Jones IP.
The other judges are:
Character & Entertainment
- Dan Grant, director of licensing, Danilo
- Nikki Samuels, licensing director, Sambro
- Clare Piggott, director, Larkshead Media
- Julia Redman, head of buying, M&Co
Brand & Design
- Stuart Cox, founder, I Like Birds
- Vicki Thomas, owner, Vicki Thomas Associates
- Sarah Lawrence, owner, This is Iris
- Jehane Boden Spiers, founder, Jehane
- Will Stewart, md, The Point.1888
Will commented: “It’s such a good competition to unearth new talent and becoming a finalist is enough to give your brand a real boost. All the entries are properly considered by experts in the industry and the feedback can be invaluable.
“It’s heartwarming seeing a lot of new young talent that are waking up to the opportunity that licensing can give them to realise their dream. I love the idea we could be the first to see something that could go on to be huge.”
Wynne-Jones IP’s Victor added: “We are delighted to sponsor BLE’s License This! competition once again. It’s a great initiative for start-ups to get a foot in the door to such a thriving industry. Licensing is a crowded space and getting that all important first-deal or first-break is crucial but can take time.
“License This! gives brand and product innovators the perfect opportunity and platform from which to get noticed.”
The 2018 winners of License This were Oddcats (pictured) in the Character & Entertainment category and Animals! in the Brand & Design category.
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