LIMA announced 69 nominees from around the world for the annual LIMA International Licensing Excellence Awards. The awards, which recognize creativity and performance in trademark licensing, will be announced at LIMA’s Opening Night Awards Ceremony on June 14 during Licensing International Expo 2011 in Las Vegas.

Categories for the awards include Art or Design; Character or Toy; Corporate, Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment; Sports or Sports-themed Entertainment; Licensed Promotion; and Retailer of the Year.

The Overall Best Licensed Program of the Year award will also be presented. Finalists include Hello Kitty Sanrio, Inc.; JCB JC Bamford Excavators Ltd./JCB.; Consumer Products; Justin Bieber Bravado International Group; PGA Tour PGA Tour, Inc.; The Stanley Works Beanstalk (agent for The Stanley Works); Toy Story 3 The Walt Disney Company; and Victoria and Albert Museum Victoria and Albert Museum/V&A Enterprises.

Voting is open to LIMA members until May 13. The full list of nominees is below:

Best Art or Design Program of the Year

Andy Warhol
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Artkey’s Qi Baishi
Artkey Co., Ltd.

Shopaholic, Too
Designs by Lolita, Inc./Out of the Box Licensing

The Smiley Pop Art Style Collection
The Smiley Company

Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum/V&A Enterprises

Best Art or Design Licensee of the Year

Creative Tops
Victoria and Albert Museum/ceramics

Dom Pérignon
Andy Warhol/champagne

Santa Barbara Design Studio
Lolita/glassware

Smiley Factory Ltd.
SmileyWorld Vintage/apparel

Best Character or Toy Brand Program of the Year

Hello Kitty
Sanrio, Inc.

Minnie Mouse
The Walt Disney Company

Peppa Pig
eOne Entertainment

Skelanimals
Skelanimals, LLC/Art Impressions, Inc.

Best Character or Toy Brand Licensee of the Year – Hard Goods

Fisher-Price, Inc.
TRIO DC Super Friends Batcave

JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
Big Buck Hunter Pro/TV games & Wii title

Kellogg Company
Scrabble/Cheez-It

PPW Toys
Mr. Potato Head Affinity Program

smart USA
Hello Kitty/car wraps for the smart fortwo

Best Character or Toy Brand Licensee of the Year – Soft Goods

São Paulo Alpargatas S.A./Havaianas
Woody Woodpecker/flip flops

Jay Franco & Sons, Inc.
Mickey Mouse/bath program

Loungefly
Hello Kitty/junior accessories

Best Corporate Brand Program of the Year

Animal Planet
Discovery Communications/The Joester Loria Group

ASPCA Private Label Brand
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

JCB
J C Bamford Excavators Limited/JCB Consumer Products

Jelly Belly
Jelly Belly/The Licensing Company

The Stanley Works
Stanley Black & Decker/The Beanstalk Group, LLC

Best Corporate Brand Licensee of the Year

Baccus Global, LLC
The Stanley Works/lighting & 12 volt automotive accessories

Ginsey Home Solutions (aka Ginsey Industries, Inc.)
Rubbermaid/designer bath mat collection

Nouveau Eyewear
Umbro/ophthalmic eyewear

Sakar International, Inc.
Kodak/family of products

Shabby Chic
Simply Shabby Chic at Target/bedding, bath, window

Best Film, Television, Celebrity, or Entertainment Program of the Year

Dora the Explorer
Nickelodeon Consumer Products

How to Train Your Dragon
DreamWorks Animation

Justin Bieber
Bravado International Group

Toy Story 3
The Walt Disney Company

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Summit Entertainment/Striker Entertainment

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Universal Orlando Resort/Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Best Film, Television, Celebrity, or Entertainment Licensee of the Year – Hard Goods

The Bridge Direct, Inc., dba The Bridge
Justin Bieber/dolls

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Karaoke Revolution Glee

Learning Curve Brands
Chuggington/die-cast toys

LEGO
Harry Potter/construction sets & Hogwarts board game

Rubie’s Costume Co., Inc.
Lady Gaga/costumes & accessories

Best Film, Television, Celebrity, or Entertainment Licensee of the Year – Soft Goods

Awake, Inc
Glee/apparel

Jay Franco & Sons, Inc.
Toy Story 3/bedding, bath & beach

Mighty Fine
Alice in Wonderland/apparel

Mighty Fine
Toy Story 3/apparel

National Entertainment Collectibles Association, Inc.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse/apparel & accessories

Best Sports or Sports-Themed Entertainment Program of the Year

2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
National Hockey League

ESPN
ESPN

NASCAR Team Properties
NASCAR and Teams

PGA Tour
PGA Tour, Inc.

Best Sports or Sports-Themed Entertainment Licensee of the Year

Cycle Force Group
Tour de France/bicycles & accessories

JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
Ultimate Fighting Championship/action figures, playsets & role play

K’NEX
NASCAR/building sets

PB Teen
NFL/bedding

Sportcraft
ESPN/indoor & outdoor recreation

Best Licensed Promotion of the Year

Burger King’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Ultimate Experience
Summit Entertainment/Striker Entertainment

Chuggington Traffic Safety Cross-Platform Promotion
Ludorum/Super RTL

Dove Glee For All
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Limited Edition Armed Forces Licensed Razor Program
U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard

Green’s Free Irwins Apron
Irwin Family

Mr. Happy Should’ve Gone to Specsavers
Chorion

SGI Apparel & Kohl’s Bakugan Gift with Purchase Program
Nelvana Enterprises/Cartoon Network Enterprises

Best Retailer of the Year

Boots
Strictly Come Dancing

Forever 21
Minnie Mouse

Lowe’s
Sesame Street

Target
Toy Story 3

Wal-Mart
Toy Story 3

Wal-Mart
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

While we’re still recovering from the aftershock of Toy Fair (and of three consecutive snowstorms), we’re already thinking about Licensing Expo.

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) has announced a lineup of more than 30 seminars for Licensing International Expo 2010, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, June 8 – 10.

Part of LIMA’s Licensing University program, the sessions cover a wide variety of topics for industry newcomers as well as those with many years of experience. With an emphasis on helping licensing professionals expand their knowledge base, the program will cover topics including retail and distribution strategies, legal and financial issues, social media, marketing challenges, and international expansion. The conference offers a strategic look at virtually all major industry segments, including corporate branding, art, sports, and fashion licensing as well as growth markets such as Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.
The conference program runs from Sunday, June 6 through Wednesday, June 9. A free keynote session will once again be presented on Tuesday, the opening morning of the show. Details of the keynote will be announced in the coming weeks.
The seminar program kicks off on Sunday, June 6 with a presentation on “The State of Retail in the U.S.,” by Bentonville, AR-based retail consultant Carol Speickerman, followed by a retail tour of Las Vegas, hosted by Speickerman and LIMA. Speickerman will provide an overview of steps mass merchants are taking to differentiate themselves from the competition, including their use of proprietary brands. Immediately following the presentation, LIMA will host a tour of local retail outlets. Cost for the presentation and tour is $55 per participant until April 10; $75 per participant after April 10.
Monday, June 7, there will be  two sessions designed for newcomers to the licensing business. The introductory “Licensing for Beginners” panel, moderated by Rick Mallow, former licensing director for Elmer’s Products, Inc., will offer expert guidance on the fundamentals, from basic terminology and roles of licensors and licensees to when to use licensing strategically to grow a business. Additionally, Jed Ferdinand, an attorney with Grimes and Battersby, LLC, will present “Licensing Law for Beginners.”

Session highlights include:

Getting Your Brand Ready for Licensing – Learn how to evaluate whether a brand is ready for licensing and how to evolve internal structures and processes to support a licensing program. Moderator: Brooke Bridges, associate vice president, Beanstalk Group

Retail Strategies Beyond the Top Ten – Take a look at how key retailers are using brands, exclusives, and innovative strategies to prosper in the current economic climate. Moderator: Sean Heitkemper, vice president of business development, IMC Licensing

New Property Introductions – Learn how to launch a new intellectual property and build a meaningful licensing program at retail. Moderator: Marc Mostman, president, Most Management

Using Demographic Trends to Grow Your Licensing Business – Discover how demographic trends are creating new opportunities. Moderator: Stephen Reily, CEO and co-founder, IMC Licensing, and founder, Vibrant Nation

Deal Structures in the Interactive Gaming and Mobile World – Meet professionals from leading game publishers, retailers, manufacturers and agencies making game-based licensing a success. Moderator: Germaine Gioia, vice president of licensing, THQ

I Never Thought that Would Work: Unusual Success Stories – Explore challenges and opportunities in developing new categories. Moderator: Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager, CBS Consumer Products

To view the complete 2010 seminar lineup and see which sessions are CLS-certified, visit the licensing expo website. You can register online, or by phone at (888) 644-2022. Sessions have limited seating and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.