{"id":21565,"date":"2020-05-27T17:03:28","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T15:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.licensingitalia.it\/?p=21565"},"modified":"2020-05-27T17:03:28","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T15:03:28","slug":"brand-licensing-europe-opens-entries-for-license-this-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.licensingitalia.it\/en\/brand-licensing-europe-opens-entries-for-license-this-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Brand Licensing Europe opens entries for License This! competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brand Licensing Europe has opened entries for its annual License This! competition, which gives young brands and designers a much-needed leg up into the multi-billion-dollar world of licensing and brand extension<\/h3>\n
This year\u2019s judges are on the hunt for fresh, exciting new blood across two award categories: Character & Animation and Brand & Design. To qualify, entrants can hail from anywhere in the world, but they must be unsigned: not working with an agent or have any retail deals in place. Entry is free at https:\/\/www.brandlicensing.eu\/en\/learn-brand-licensing\/license-competition.html<\/a><\/div>\n
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The finalists will be chosen on 11 September by two judging panels, including a bunch of new faces critiquing the Character & Animation category: Asda\u2019s head of buying Ruth Golightly, GB eye\u2019s Head of Licensing Emily Aldridge, C21 Kids editor Nico Franks and Start Licensing founder Ian Downes<\/strong>, who said: \u201cLicensing is an industry that thrives on new ideas and fresh talent. It can be hard to break through sometimes, so a forum like License This! is a very welcome one as it shines a light on creativity. I look forward to seeing this year’s entries. Well done BLE for driving License This forward<\/em>.\u201d<\/div>\n
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This year\u2019s two License This! winners will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2021, one year\u2019s Licensing International membership, PR support, and invaluable advice from the panel of industry experts. In addition, all finalists will receive legal consultation from competition sponsor Wynne-Jones. Previous entrants \u2013 both winners and finalists \u2013 have successfully signed lucrative agent and licensing deals off the back of the competition and are championing fellow entrepreneurs to sign up.<\/div>\n
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Last year\u2019s joint-winner Rosie Brooks<\/strong>: \u201cIt was a really fun experience and it has opened so many doors for me already \u2013 I can’t wait for BLE this autumn! If you\u2019re thinking about entering this year, all the judges I spoke to said it was about the potential of the idea rather than finished and polished product lines, so if you have an idea you think has the possibility to grow, make lots of prototypes: the more you experiment, the stronger the idea will become<\/em>.\u201d

Returning judge Will Stewart, founder & MD of The Point.1888<\/strong> :<\/strong> \u201cLicense This! has never been more important. Every industry needs new young brands to be nurtured to build the opportunities of the future. There will be tonnes of home working or furloughed designers who have been doodling over the last couple of months. Be brave and submit your work – the exposure you get, the feedback you get and the confidence you will get are vital. Every year, the quality improves, and what’s really impressed me is when designers come back with tweaks based on the previous year\u2019s feedback. Last year\u2019s winner Drew Bristow is a great example of this<\/em>.\u201d<\/div>\n
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This year\u2019s judges are confirmed as:<\/div>\n