Awards shock: new winner announced

In an extraordinary turn of events, Southern Colour Print will receive the 2016 Pride In Print supreme award after the on-the-night winner Logick Print & Graphics disqualified itself. Logick director Dave Gick asked Pride In Print management to disqualify his entry after he became aware that his winning entry had received the award judged as a whole piece. Only items completely printed in New Zealand can win the award. The Babich Wines’ 100-year wine presentation piece, which received the award on Friday night, had some elements in it printed overseas. As a result, the Awards Committee has decided to bestow the Supreme Award to Southern Colour Print for its New Zealand Post stamps work which was printed on the Adidas fabric worn by the World Cup-winning All Blacks in 2015. The All Blacks stamps won the Industry Development Category and received high praised from the awards supreme panel judges. Sue Archibald, awards manager, says, “The final decision on the Supreme Award Winner had come down to the wire at judging between the two jobs and the Logick entry was considered to just have the advantage. “With Logick now advising that part of this work was produced by an overseas supplier it is clear the judges’ final decision would have been influenced if this information was known at the time and therefore Southern Colour Print’s entry would have won the day.†In a joint statement, Ms Archibald and Awards chair Scott Porter praised Dave Gick for his integrity in asking for his prize to be withdrawn. The statement says: “The principles of Pride In Print champion honesty and transparency. Those principles are shared by the people in our industry. “It is a reflection of those principles that Dave chose to voluntarily bring this to the attention of the Awards Committee. He had entered the presentation piece in certain sub categories and intended only the New Zealand-printed elements to be judged. When he realised the piece as a whole had been judged, and knew that certain parts had been prepared overseas, he consulted the rules and realised a discrepancy had occurred. “It is commendable Dave has taken the steps to withdraw from such a huge prize as supreme winner. The awards committee is in complete agreement in taking decisive action, and the supreme prize will now go to Southern Colour Print. “Its entry, using the actual material of the jerseys worn by the All Blacks on a stamp, is something judges had never seen before. It is innovative, high-class quality and is deserving of the Supreme Award.†The Awards manager will now organise an official presentation of the award to Southern Colour Print. For further information, please contact Pride In Print Awards manager Sue Archibald (021) 663-881.