FESPA has announced the winners of this year’s FESPA Awards, its annual celebration of excellence in the global specialty print and visual communications community. The Awards are open to print service providers (PSPs) and sign-makers looking to highlight outstanding projects.
This year’s program received entries from 27 countries across the 18 categories. The winners were announced during an online ceremony hosted by FESPA’s Technical Support Manager, Graeme Richardson-Locke, in lieu of the live Gala Awards event which would have taken place during this year’s Global Print Expo in Madrid.
The categories ‘Packaging on Paper and Board’, ‘Packaging on Plastics’, ‘Wrapping’ and ‘Printeriors’ were new to this year’s Awards scheme, recognizing four important growth applications for specialty print and signage businesses.
Among this year’s entries, the judges selected two to receive Best in Show Awards for truly outstanding examples of print. These are Christian M. Walter – Taller de Serigrafía- Edición from Spain, for the entry “New York de Sergio García Sánchez” in the Serigraphy and Fine Art category, and The Look Company from Qatar for its Roll-to-Roll Printed Textiles entry “Anoc World Beach Games.”
Members of the FESPA community selected the People’s Choice Award from the shortlisted entries, with Sakawa Printing Company from Japan taking this honor for its Japanese Fishes Calendar in the Creative Special Effect – Paper, Board and Plastics category.
New to the 2020 Awards is the Judges’ Award for Innovation which was handed to HAAS Die Werbemanufaktur from Switzerland for its 3D Printed Beer Bottle Breaks Through Glass entry in the Direct Printing on Three-Dimensional Products category. Graeme Richardson-Locke, FESPA Awards Judge, commented, “This entry was selected as the winner of the Judges’ Award for Innovation for being a brilliantly executed and creative concept using a combination of 3D printing, vinyl wrapping and detail fabrication.”
Entries were also invited for the Young Star category, for junior print industry employees, trainees or students aged between 16 and 25. The 2020 Young Star winner is PVG’s Maharashtra Institute of Printing Technology in India for their entry, ‘Save Tigers Before They are Silenced Forever.’ “This student’s work shows ambition in reproduction and design, using 4-color processes and special effect varnishes,” Graeme explains why this entry was awarded Gold.
Christian Duyckaerts, Fespa president comments, “Championing print excellence and promoting the unique power of print is central to Fespa’s mission. With the Fespa Awards, we want to inspire our global community to keep developing fresh ideas and using advances in technology and materials to add new dimensions to the work they produce for customers, as a foundation for continued growth. Judging this work is a privilege because it reminds us that print – in all its many forms and applications – is creative, beautiful, and, above all, effective. We extend our congratulations to all our 2020 winners.”
