BLE’s Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition welcomes Aardman student design initiative

Entries open today for Brand Licensing Europe’s Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition.

License This! is aimed at boosting the profile of new brands, illustrators, inventors and product designers, and helping them to successfully break into the licensing market.

Entrants are invited to enter one of three categories.

The first two are aimed at unlicensed brands and properties – often with a focus on illustration, publishing or animation – who are keen to secure a licensing deal or agency representation. They are:

• Kelvyn Gardner License This! Character & Animation
• Kelvyn Gardner License This! Brand & Design

Winners will receive a free exhibition stand at BLE 2023. This year, 2021 winners Sophie Jonas-Hill with Tea for Tattoo, and Joel Mercer with SeedFolk will return to the show as exhibitors.

“Winning Licence This! has been literally life changing for me and my business – it’s amazing!” said Sophie Jonas-Hill.

“I had just graduated from an MA and was starting from scratch in a new career, and I’d never really considered licensing or how it worked: now I’ve met industry heavyweights and already signed a deal with Trademark Products Ltd and HMV. If you’re not sure if you should enter – don’t be! It might take you further than you could imagine too!’”

Additionally, student designers and inventors are invited to enter a third award category:

• Product Design in partnership with Mojo Nation

The Product Design category is open to students from further education or university level to enter and this year, budding design stars will be competing with one another to showcase innovation in toy design.

In partnership with Aardman, students have to design a Wallace & Gromit branded toy, with an emphasis on STEM learning.

“We are so excited to be able to open to doors to students, not only to highlight the best in innovation and fresh concepts but also to give a platform to new talent into the licensing industry,” said Anna Knight, SVP, Licensing at Informa Markets.

All three categories are asked to take sustainability into consideration and the finalists will pitch to the judges in a live final at BLE on Thursday 22nd September.

To get involved in this year’s License This! competition, head to: https://www.brandlicensing.eu/en/learn-brand-licensing/license-competition.html