Fespa has opened entries for its 2016 Awards; the global competition consisting of 15 categories covering a variety of application themes.
Duncan MacOwan, head of events at Fespa, says, “This is the 33rd year we have run the competition and expect the calibre of entries to be just as great, if not greater, than in 2015. Print service providers are the life-blood of the print industry, and I look forward to meeting the finalists, and congratulating the winners, at Fespa’s Gala Dinner.”
“The Fespa Awards are a great way to showcase the success and creativity of print across digital, screen and textile disciplines. It is a platform to inspire our global print community and to motivate other printers to push the boundaries of print.”
Categories include in-store; fine art print; decals, outdoor and vehicle decoration; special effect print; garment and wearables; interior decoration; and industrial and functional printing. There’s also a brand new category for non-printed signage.
Companies can enter each category using either a digital print process, screen print process, or a combination of any print processes. Entrants have until the 29th January 2016 to submit their work. As usual, an independent panel of global industry experts will judge the work.
Outside of the application-led categories, Fespa will make three separate awards: Young Star, Best in Show and People’s Choice. The Young Star award is open to an employee or student in a print related discipline aged between 16 and 25. Best in Show is decided by the judges, across all the shortlisted entries, for the piece of work that offers the most outstanding example of print. The People’s Choice award is voted for online by the Fespa community. Voting will open on the 15th February 2016.
MacOwan adds, “Winning a Fespa award offers significant credibility to a print business providing the perfect platform to showcase their skill and expertise, which enables printers to instil confidence in their customers and support new business ventures.
“Last year’s Fespa Best in Show winner, the Markthallen-Rotterdam from TS Visuals, was a prime example of this kind of innovation. The larger-than-life mural conveys the desired effect using Valspar’s coatings and a sublimation printing process on 4,000 perforated aluminum panels.”
Fespa will show all shortlisted entries at the RAI Amsterdam, in The Netherlands, during Fespa Digital 2016 from March 8-11. It will announce the winners in front of an audience of global industry experts at Fespa’s Gala Night on Wednesday March 9 at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam.
