All eyes on the prize: judges proud of NZ print awards

903 entries were received this year, a slight increase from the 889 that were entered in the year prior. As these entries were narrowed down into Gold Awards, then into Supreme Award candidates and Finalists, the judging became so tight that judges had to be anonymously polled an extra two times in order to separate the top contenders for the Supreme Award.

“We have never seen anything like this since the awards began,” said Grant Letfus, judges’ convenor. “The standards were so high that deciding on the merits of entries in totally different categories became very difficult. Each had technical excellence, showed innovation and involved complex challenges.”

New categories were introduced in case binding and wine labels, which drew a steady number of entries from both small and large companies. “The awards are constantly developing and each year we review the way the industry is heading and redefine our categories to ensure we reach out into every sector,” Letfus said.

But quantity and quality are two very different things. While entry levels and categories were in full swing, Letfus also noted that some entrants let themselves down by submitting individual samples with flaws. “We had one absolutely superb case-bound entry that had a damaged case,” he said. “It only required the entrant to check underneath the dust cover on the sample before sending it off. A possible gold medal chance was lost because of this simple failure.”

This was just one of the standard dramas involved in the competition and with increasing interest being shown by printers, Letfus remains hopeful that the awards will develop New Zealand’s reputation for producing quality print jobs. “People understand we have to be smarter and more adept, and are investing in the machinery to allow us to achieve that,” he said. “It is heartening to see that New Zealand print standards are rising to the extent that we can compete in the global marketplace.”

Winners of the Pride in Print Awards will be announced on 15 June.



Pictured: judge Ed Princep applying the magnifying glass to one of the many entries in this year's awards