The Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards (B&LLAs) will return in 2026 with a glittering 10th anniversary event, which will also introduce two new categories.
Taking place on Thursday April 23 at the Royal Lancaster London, the B&LLAs give the brand and lifestyle licensing and retail sectors an opportunity to be recognised and rewarded separately to the character and entertainment licensing sector, which is covered by The Licensing Awards held in September.
The 2026 ceremony will celebrate brand and lifestyle licensing activity which has taken place in the UK between January 1 2025 and December 31 2025, across Product, Retail and Property categories.
In addition, the Brand Ambassador Award will be presented to an individual (brand owner, licensor, retailer, licensee or supplier), whose contribution to the brand licensing sector has been outstanding. The UK Rising Star Award will recognise excellence among those new to the brand licensing sector in the UK who have shown real potential.
Two new categories will also join the 2026 line-up:
- Best Brand Licensed Paper Products & Publishing Range: open to all brand-licensed paper products and publishing, including greeting cards, stationery, calendars, diaries, giftwrap, non-children’s books and magazines, partworks and sticker albums.
- Best Brand Licensed Retail Marketing Initiative: for the most creative and effective marketing campaign run in a UK retailer or pop-up to support a licensed brand (non-character and entertainment) or a range of licensed products or an individual product.
The deadline for all nominations and entries is Friday February 27. The entry and nomination process for all categories is free and can be completed online at https://www.brandlicensingawards.com/enter/