Earlier this week, the winners of the 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards were unveiled in a virtual gathering that brought together nearly 1,000 industry executives from around the world to celebrate the best of the best in the licensing industry. The Joester Loria Group is honored and proud to be among the list of this year’s winners, with JLG client The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Studio taking home the award for the best licensed brand in the art, design, celebrity and fashion category.
The awards honor innovation and creativity in the way brands use licensing to further their goals; how licensees develop and bring to market products using those licenses, and how retailers creatively spotlight licenses on their shelves. One special award added this year was for the Pandemic Pivot, recognizing companies’ efforts to use licensing to react to the effects of the global pandemic.
This year’s awards featured 22 categories, with the winners selected from a group of more than 152 nominees from around the world. More than 650 entries were received, and an elite global judging panel narrowed those entries down to the final ballot, which was voted on by members of the licensing industry at large.
In addition to honoring the work of the nominees and winners, the ceremony included the announcement that Kathy Ireland, CEO and Chief Designer at Kathy Ireland Worldwide; and Salvatore LaRocca, President, Global Partnerships of the National Basketball Association, as the newest inductees into the Licensing Hall of Fame.