DRUPA: THE AUSSIE OI OI OI AWARDS

It was two weeks of brilliance, and as the global print community waved goodbye to the Messe Centre, Print21 reflected on the past fortnight, and gave out the Oi Oi Oi Awards, for those that went above and beyond in Dusseldorf.

Most Inventive Stand Award: Koenig & Bauer eschewed 200 years of heavy-duty engineering to present a slinky space age concept, Canon made a big statement with a brilliant design, but the winner is giant packaging printing and converting machinery manufacturer Bobst, which didn't show a single machine on its huge stand, declaring itself to be a software company.

Best Display of Applications Award: Kongsberg showed what could be done with its cutters, producing a striking visual; part Lord of the Rings, part 2001 Space Odyssey; but Mimaki took the award with its promotional staff dressed in its print.

Biggest Crowds Award: In a show that was all about software, and where inkjet digital print systems abounded, it was the Heidelberg stand that attracted massive crowds day after day, for demonstrations of its new B1 offset 21,000sph XL106, with humanless plate changing from an overhead gantry.

Best Presentation Award: Stand out winner was Canon, with its theatre showing the power of print to captivate, sending many audience members to tears over the blind man and white rhino storyline.

Most Hyperbole in a Press Release Award: Every second word in some press releases was 'game-changing', 'state-of-the-art', 'revolutionary', and 'unique', or the ridiculous and genuinely awful, 'very unique'. All nonsense of course. Too many top contenders to separate one out. Do PRs get paid on the amount of superlatives they can get in a press release?

Best Bar Award: Fatties - the original Bolkerstrasse Irish Pub - has a multitude of competitors these days, including two next door, but none that have yet matched its authenticity, evidenced by the big crowds there every night.

Best Quote Award: Late into one night, an Aussie printer asked a Fatties barman what time it closes, barman replied, "Long after you've gone to bed matey."

Best Party Award: That was the sold out Print21 drupafest, which saw 265 ANZ printers come together for a wonderful night under the stars, in the beer garden of award-winning brewery Der Frankenheim.

drupa Tragics Award: Print21 columnist Gareth Ward has been at every drupa since 1986, which makes nine. Print21 editors Wayne Robinson and Patrick Howard are not far behind, starting in 1990 and 1995 respectively.

Worst Example of Print Award: Sadly, some issues of the drupa daily magazine looked like they had been put together by an amateur AI programme, all inaccessible grey slabs of text and the occasional grey box to break them up. It did get better as the show went on.

Wish You Were Here Award: Big names that were missing included Agfa and Roland DG, who decided to focus on Fespa, which ran eight weeks before drupa. Also missing was manroland Sheetfed, whose owner Tony Langley just doesn't like expos. But the clear winner of the missing in action award is Xerox, purely on the basis of its claim at drupa 2000 that it would be bigger than Heidelberg in commercial print.

Biggest Surprise Award: German food. All of a sudden there was variety. It wasn't all bratwurst, pork knuckles, sauerkraut and potato dumplings this time around – although they were as good as always – there were salads, poke bowls, and, heavens above, attempts at Asian food.

The Show Rolls On Award: drupa may have finished, but Germany is about to stage the European soccer championships, and Dusseldorf is one of the host cities, with great graphics everywhere creating a big impact. Go the power of print.

** All award winners can collect their awards on the opening night of the next drupa. Come to the far end of the Irish Bar after 1am with enough money for a round.