Brand Licensing Europe has announced the four finalists for its 2014 License This! Competition. The contest, now in its fifth year, offers a chance for creators with brand-new concepts to break into the global licensing industry. The Competition’s final will take place live before an audience at BLE in London on October 9.
The finalists are:
- Ailsa Black Artwork presented by Ailsa Black – work inspired by living in a rural area by the coast in Scotland, rich with animals and people that express the essence of rural and coastal life.
- Chef and Sue presented by Ann Edwards – a gentle satire of middle class foibles, flavored with cheese jokes, and popular in Waitrose Weekend magazine for the last four years.
- Give a Hoot created by Rowena Blyth at Fourth Wall Brands – a colorful, cute and timeless design concept that celebrates the humor and popularity of owls in a fun and contemporary way.
- RaNT! created by Adam Bestwick at Fourth Wall Brands – a fun and irreverent character that has something loud to say about the bits of modern life that really get on our nerves, like flat pack furniture, social media and veggie burgers.
The finalists were chosen by a judging panel of licensing and acquisitions executives including Ian Downes (Start Licensing), Paul Button (Rovio Ent.), Richard Haines (Penguin Random House) and John Carolan (Sainsbury’s). The four will now compete for a fully-furnished stand at BLE 2015, worth 5,100 BPS. Last year’s winner, whimsical rodent Mr Trafalgar, will be on display at this year’s show Oct. 7-9.
