Business News
A new era for the Oscars of the printing industry as Sappi European Awards become biennial
Tuesday 14. October 2008 - Since 1993, Sappi has held annual celebrations to recognise and reward excellence in print through the Sappi European Printers of the Year competition. However, in keeping with the companys pioneering philosophy, Sappi feel it is time these awards embrace a new era.
Often referred to as the Oscars of the industry, every year, printing royalty have celebrated this competition at gala events, held at inspirational venues across the globe. However, from this point onwards, the European Sappi Printers of the Year competition will be held every two years, in the same glamorous style.
Sappis leadership recognise that being one of the winning printers in the competition is proven to have significant commercial value. Winners enjoy a stratospheric rise in profile, are able to engage more and more with corporate end-users and print specifiers, as well as the design community, showing the critical role printers play in executing their work.
With this in mind, Andre Oberholzer, Group Head of Corporate Affairs at Sappi Limited, explains the new change: “Getting to the world stage requires skill, dedication and commitment and it makes sense to leave the spotlight on our winners for longer. Many global competitions that recognise excellence follow this trend, the Olympics, for example, the World Cup Soccer and the Venice Biennale of Art, to name a few.”
Berry Wiersum, CEO at Sappi Fine Paper Europe, adds: “There is a rich history of making adjustments to the competition as Sappi places the highest value in recognising new trends and developments in line with market feedback. Clear examples of this are by incorporating changes in technology and printing processes into the judging criteria and expanding the international award to include nine, from seven, winners. Sappi is also investigating how to best incorporate the importance of sustainability and corporate responsibility into the revised competition.”
The first European award ceremony in its new format will take place in 2010, in the Czech Republic as planned, for works printed during 2008 and 2009. Similarly, the International Sappi Printers of the Year awards will also follow the new biennial rule.