The Bologna Licensing Awards winners have been unveiled on April 13th, during the Awards Ceremony at the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids.
The winners for the Bologna Licensing Awards were announced on Monday, 13th April, during the Bologna Licensing Awards ceremony, which took place at the end of the first packed day of the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids. Now in their ninth year, the awards are a key part of the 19th Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/K), the only fair focused on children’s and young adult brands, held during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF).
This year’s Awards featured 16 awards for 16 categories and a special mention, including the newly introduced Best Transmedia Property of the Year, and the return of the Best Rising Star Property of the Year, and attracted over 300 submissions from all over the world.
Here are the winners for the 2026 edition:
BEST PRE-SCHOOL LICENSING PROJECT
- Ladybird Books, Penguin Random House UK, and the BBC Studios for the Bluey publishing program.
BEST KIDS LICENSING PROJECT
- Sanrio for the Hello Kitty Home project by H&M Home
BEST TEEN LICENSING PROJECT
- Starbright Licensing, with Konami Cross Media NY, for the Yu-Gi-Oh! X Nike collection created by Nike
BEST YOUNG ADULT LICENSING PROJECT
- WildBrain CPLG with Hasbro for the Timex x Monopoly project, created by Timex
BEST RETAIL PROJECT
- Sanrio for the Lush x Hello Kitty and Friends project, created by Lush
BEST RETAIL PROJECT – SPECIAL MENTION
- Mood Space with Paramount Consumer Products for the SpongeBob SquarePants x Aurora Multimarket project, produced by Aurora Multimarket
BEST PRESCHOOL AND KIDS’ FASHION PROJECT
- Rights & Brands for the Cath Kidston x Moomin project, created by Cath Kidston
BEST TEENS/YOUNG ADULTS FASHION PROJECT
- Mattel for the Koi x Monster High project, created by Koi
BEST LICENCED PUBLISHING PROJECT
- Sanrio, in partnership with Agatha Christie Ltd, for the MMLM x Agatha Christie project
BEST LICENSED TOY PROJECT
- IMG Licensing with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for the Goodyear Take Apart Toy Engine project, developed by Red Toolbox
BEST LICENSED VIDEO GAME PROJECT
- Storytoys, in partnership with LEGO and BBC Studios, for the LEGO® Bluey project
BEST LICENSED PROMOTION / LOYALTY CAMPAIGN
- The Continuity Company Srl with Netflix for the La collezione dal sottosopra project, developed in partnership with Conad
BEST LICENSED KIOSK & COLLECTIBLE PRODUCT
- Maurizio Di Stefano Licensing, in partnership with Rights & Brands, for the Moomin newsstand project developed by Panini Spa
BEST LICENSED SUSTAINABLE PROJECT
- Sesame Workshop, for the Sesame Street E-Wasting Campaign project, developed in collaboration with Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte-Register
BEST RISING STAR PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
- Officina Comunicazione with Skifidol Italian Brainrot
BEST TRANSMEDIA PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
- Peyo Company with The Smurfs
BEST PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
- BBC Studios with Bluey
