Keeping in step with the new PRINTING United Alliance association is a brand-new print awards competition honoring the very best in the industry. Our priority was to bring together the best of all the historic awards, including the PIA Bennies, SGIA Golden Image Awards, Printing Impressions Gold Ink Awards, and Packaging Impressions Excellence Awards, to create one, all-inclusive awards program recognizing excellence in quality, creativity, and innovation across all print market segments. This new awards program — now underway for 2021 — is the PRINTING United Alliance Premier PRINT Awards. PRINTING United Alliance represents the entire printing community, so it was important that this awards program do the same. Therefore, categories were created that align with all of the major printing processes — encompassing all print communities — including:
• Flexography
• Gravure
• Screen printing
• Offset printing
• All areas of digital printing
• Wide-format printing
• Postpress and finishing
• Specialty printing
• Awards for high school and post-secondary schools
Across these printing processes are 71 different award categories. For example, the awards in the flexography group category includes pressure-sensitive labels, flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, and folding carton. And for the offset lithography group you’ll find award categories for book printing, web and sheetfed, catalogs, magazines, pocket folders, brochures, and more. There are opportunities to enter and win in each of these categories to receive the "Best of Category" Award.
There’s an additional opportunity to win if your entry is selected for one of the "Best of Category" Awards. Winners within each group listed above are judged against each other where they can win the "Printed Product of the Year' Award for each group including:
• Flexographic Printed Product of the Year
• Gravure Printed Product of the Year
• Screen Printing Printed Product of the Year
• Offset Lithographic Printed Product of the Year
• Digital Printing Printed Product of the Year
• Wide-Format Inkjet Printing Printed Product of the Year
• Post-press/Finishing Printed Product of the Year
But wait, there’s more! All of the "Printed Product of the Year" Award winners are judged against each other with the opportunity to win the coveted "Best of Show" Award. Finally, all category award winners will be on display at PRINTING United Exposition in Orlando, Fla., where attendees can vote for the "People’s Choice" Award.For those companies whose entries are selected to be the very best, there are exclusive benefits that come with winning an award. Each award tier elevates the level of recognition and rewards:
All "Best of Category" Award Winners will receive:
• Their company name, entry details, and contact information published in the online and print version of the PRINTING United Alliance Premier PRINT Awards booklet promoted and mailed to thousands of potential customers.
• A beautiful Premier PRINT Awards trophy engraved with their company name, entry name, and Best of Category classification.
• A digital badge that can be included on their website, email signatures, social media, and more.
• Their display in the Premier PRINT Awards hall at the PRINTING United Expo.
All "Printed Product of the Year" Award winners will receive all Best of Category Award benefits mentioned above plus:
• A Printed Product of the Year Category trophy.
• A Printed Product of the Year digital badge.
• Recognition via the Premier PRINT Award winners unveiling event at PRINTING United Exposition with photo opportunities and industry trade press.
• Automatic entry into the Best of Show award.
And finally, the Best of show Award winner will receive all Printed Product of the Year Award benefits mentioned above plus:
• Exclusive, coveted Best of Show Award trophy.
• Best of Show digital badge.
• Media coverage and story published in the PRINTING United Show Daily.
• Bragging rights of being the very best in the industry!
A PRINTING United Alliance membership is not required to enter, but members receive a 15% discount on every entry. There’s also a quantity discount: the more you enter, the more you’ll save. Learn more and enter the competition by visiting premierprint.printing.org before the July 15 deadline. Judging will take place in July, and all winners will be notified in August.
Send in those entries so we can celebrate all of the amazing work that’s been produced in the industry throughout the past year!
Joe Marin is senior VP, education and training at PRINTING United Alliance, through which he pursues his passion helping people learn, advance, and grow. He has spent the majority of his career in the printing industry and is one of the leading voices on digital technologies, speaking at major industry trade shows and conferences on topics related to succeeding in a digital print environment.