BOSTON – Today, Sappi Fine Paper North America announced its call for entries for the 2013 North American Printers of the Year awards, a competition that recognizes print excellence and innovation across 10 categories for work produced on Sappi papers. Since 1999, the Sappi Printers of the Year Awards program has been regarded as the world's most respected accolade of excellence in the printing industry.
In addition to industry-wide recognition, award-winning printers may receive up to $20,000 in design support and 5,000lbs of paper towards marketing and brand initiatives. Selected printers will also gain increased visibility with current and potential clients by being featured on their own page in Sappi's Printers of the Year Online Resource, a unique database tool for designers, print buyers and corporations.
"In today's marketplace, even with the growth of digital and social media, we see print as a more vital medium to the marketing mix than ever before," said Patti Groh, Director of Marketing Communications, Sappi Fine Paper North America. "With each Printers of the Year competition, Sappi recognizes entrants that have raised the bar with their strategic and creative uses of print, and we strive to promote and support those who understand the impact that high-quality print has as a communications tool."
All entries for Sappi's 2013 North American Printers of the Year must be received by February 22, 2013. Entering the competition is easy — printers can submit any work printed in the U.S. or Canada between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 that uses Sappi paper as the dominant stock. For each entry, six copies of the printed piece must be submitted by mail along with one copy of the entry form. An online version of the entry form and downloadable PDF entry form are available online. For more details and the entry form, visit: www.sappi.com/na/poy or contact Sappi at 1.800.882.4332.
Award Categories
Printers may submit entries for one of the following 10 categories: Annual Reports, Books, Brochures, Calendars, Catalogs, Digital Print, Magazines (sheetfed), Magazines (web), Printer's Own Promotions, or General Print (any printed material not included in the other categories). Each printer may submit an unlimited number of entries but each entry must be accompanied by its own entry form.
Rewards of Excellence
- Gold Award winners represent the top prize in each category and are designated Sappi Printers of the Year. The 10 Gold winners are each rewarded with up to $20,000 and 5,000 lbs of paper in support of the printer's marketing and brand initiatives.
- Silver Award winners from each Sappi North America sales region are chosen in each of the ten categories. Finalists then move on to represent their regions in the challenge for the Gold Awards and vie for Sappi Printers of the Year status.
- Gold, Silver and Judges' Award winners will be featured on their own updatable web page in Sappi's Printers of the Year online resource to better connect them with designers, print buyers and corporations.
- Bronze Award winners will be included in the Printers of the Year online database, with their contact information available to all users.
Judging
All entries will be judged on overall impact of the piece; degree of difficulty in the printing techniques; and technical excellence. A panel of judges was chosen from recognized print institutions and trade professions, including: Lauren Elliot, Principal of Wicked Good Print Production; Dr. Malcolm Kief, professor in the Graphic Communication Department at Cal Poly; Ken Lantz, independent print and process consultant based in New York; and James K. Tenorio, professor in the Graphic Communications Management Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout Wisconsin's Polytechnic University.
For more details about Sappi's 2013 North American Printers of the Year awards, visit: www.sappi.com/na/poy.
About Sappi Fine Paper North America
Sappi Fine Paper North America, known for innovation and quality, is a preeminent North American producer of coated fine and release papers and market pulp headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Its coated fine papers, with highly recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are used in premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. The company is also the world's leading supplier of release papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries, including the globally recognized Ultracast brand. Sappi's release papers provide the surface aesthetics for synthetic fabrics used in footwear, clothing, upholstery and accessories, as well as the textures for decorative laminates found in kitchens, baths, flooring and other decorative surfaces. An integrated pulp and paper producer, with state-of-the-art pulp mills, Sappi is the third largest seller of hardwood pulp in North America.
Sappi Fine Paper North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na/.
Contact a Sappi Representative
Olga Karagiannis
+1 617 423 5049