The winners of the 2024 Licensing International Excellence Awards were unveiled on Monday, May 20th in a ceremony that brought together industry executives from around the world to celebrate the best of the global brand licensing community.

The winners were selected from 197 finalists in 32 categories. More than 800 submissions were received, narrowed down by an expert global judging panel of 200 judges from 20 countries.

Returning this year, the Excellence Awards were hosted by Cakewalk Entertainment founder and CEO George Leon and La Panadería President and CEO Maca Rotter. The awards were presented by sponsors Alifish, InSpirit Designs, Jazwares, SEGA, and Stumble Guys.

The Excellence Awards honor innovation and creativity in the licensing community. They spotlight the power of brands to connect with consumers and further a company’s goals, celebrate how licensees develop and bring those products to market, and applaud how retailers highlight licenses on their shelves.

A new category was introduced this year for Best Advertising Campaign Featuring a Brand, which honors print, radio, TV, cinema, and outdoor media advertisements where a property is used to elevate and promote another brand. Also, for the first time, each individual member of Licensing International had the chance to vote for The Members’ Choice Award, which celebrates licensed offerings that extend a brand in unexpected and innovative ways.

“The Licensing International Excellence Awards winners represent the boundless creativity, ingenuity, and talent of the global brand licensing industry,” said Maura Regan, President of Licensing International. “We congratulate this year’s winners on their adeptness in bringing the world’s most beloved brands, characters, and properties to consumers in exciting and unique ways.”

Here are the 2024 Licensing International Excellence Awards winners:

BEST LICENSED BRANDS

• Best Brand: Animated Bluey – Ludo Studio & BBC Studios
• Best Brand: Art, Design, or Museum V&A
• Best Brand: Corporate United States Postal Service (Global Icons)
• Best Brand: Food, Beverage, Restaurant M&M’S – Mars Wrigley (Brand Central)
• Best Brand: Interactive or Digital Brand Chefclub
• Best Brand: Live Action Ted Lasso – Warner Bros. Discovery
• Best Brand: Music Artist, Celebrity, or Fashion Grateful Dead – Warner Music Experience
• Best Brand: Publishing, Stationery, or Social Expression Moomin – Moomin Characters Oy Ltd (Rights & Brands)
• Best Brand: Sports, eSports, or Collegiate NASCAR
• Best Brand: Toy Barbie – Mattel

BEST LICENSED PRODUCTS

• Best Product: Apparel, Footwear, or Accessories for Corporate Brands Loungefly – McDonald’s (The Joester Loria Group)
• Best Product: Apparel, Footwear, or Accessories for Entertainment Brands GUCCI – Gremlins
• Best Product: Appliances, Housewares, or Electronics for Corporate Brands Car Off Shore S.r.l. – FIAT 500 (IMG)
• Best Product: Appliance, Housewares, or Electronic Product for Entertainment Brands Dalstrong – Batman
• Best Product: Food or Beverage for Corporate Brands Ferrero/The Coca-Cola Company – Sprite (CAA Brand Management)
• Best Product: Food or Beverage for Entertainment Brands FoodStory Brands – Yellowstone
• Best Product: Health & Beauty Hismile – Wonka
• Best Product: Home Decor Eichholtz – The Met (Beanstalk)
• Best Product: Interactive or Digital Product Apple – Peanuts
• Best Product: Publishing, Social Expression, or Back-to-School Moleskine – Van Gogh Museum (Art Studio 3, Italy)
• Best Product: Toys, Games, Novelties, or Role Play (ages 0-8) Fun.com – Disney Pixar
• Best Product: Toys, Games, Novelties, or Role Play (ages 8+) Big Potato Games – U.S. Postal Inspection Service (Global Icons)

OTHER AWARDS  

• Best Advertising Campaign Featuring a Licensed Brand Golf’s Happy Place – PGA TOUR Superstore (Born Licensing)
• Best Collaboration: Hardlines or Packaged Goods Caran d’Ache x Keith Haring – (Artestar/CAA Brand Management)
• Best Collaboration: Softlines Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat (Artestar)
• Best Licensed Promotion 7-Eleven x Brown & Minions – CP ALL PUBLIC COMPANY (7-ELEVEN) (Pacific Licensing Studio Pte Ltd)
• Best Location-Based Experience or Initiative Shrek x Airbnb
• Best Retailer: Corporate, Lifestyle, Fashion, or Sports Brands Kohl’s – Crayola (Retail Monster)
• Best Retailer: Entertainment Brands Williams Sonoma – Bridgerton
• Best Sustainability Initiative ERDOS Polar Series – Narwhal Ocean Research Center (ALFILO Brands)
• Members’ Choice Award Barbie x Zara
• Most Impactful Service Provider Dependable Solutions

About Licensing International
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the $340+ billion global licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth and expansion of licensing around the world, raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners, and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. Founded in 1985, Licensing International members in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit LicensingInternational.org for more information and to utilize licensing’s definitive online resource.

About Licensing Expo
Launched in 1980, Licensing Expo is the world’s largest and most influential annual tradeshow dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Every year, more than 5,000 brands and 16,000 retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors, and licensing agents attend Licensing Expo from more than 70 countries. Licensing Expo is a part of the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, the licensing industry’s leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together.