The Fespa Awards have returned for 2023 and are open for entries, including categories for printed garments and textiles.
Open to all print service providers and sign-makers in the UK and overseas, the awards recognise talent, creativity, skill and workmanship across 18 categories. They were last organised in 2019, when the 2020 winners were announced online.
This year’s awards will be presented on the show floor during Fespa Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2023 in Munich. They were last presented at the show in 2019 when gold, silver and bronze awards were won by decorators from Russia and China.
Fespa has added a new category to zone in on sustainably produced applications which will be judged across all categories according to environmental considerations.
These could include a reduction in the use of materials, energy and labour throughout production, whether the product can be reused or recycled, if notable attention has been paid to lifecycle analysis, and whether the entry is economically viable.
Graeme Richardson-Locke, Fespa’s head of associations and technical lead, said: “As the demand for sustainable production and strong environmental credentials is rising in the industries we represent, printers and sign-makers are having to rethink their production practices, reduce waste and reuse/recycle materials.
“As a result of this, we are seeing more and more products with a focus on sustainable production come to market.
“Sustainability has been at the top of the agenda for Fespa for quite some time now and, by introducing the Sustainability Award, we want to highlight the incredible talent of companies who are driving change in this area.”
The 2023 FESPA Awards categories will also include:
Special Effects on T-shirts, Garments and Other Textiles
Printed Garments
Roll-to-Roll Printed Textiles
Display and POP on Paper and Board
Packaging on Paper and Board
Display and POP on Plastic
Packaging on Plastics
Posters
Serigraphies and Fine Art
Decals and Printed Labels
Wrapping
Creative Special Effects – Paper Board and Plastics
Glass, Ceramic, Metal and Wood Products
Direct Printing on Three Dimensional Products
Non-Printed Signage
Functional Printing – Fascias, Dials, Name plates
Printeriors
The final category is the Young Star Award, which can be entered by those aged 16 to 25 working as a vocational trainee or student in digital or screen printing and design.
Entrants can enter this award by submitting work in any of the print-related categories. There will not be a cost to enter the Young Star category and the prize for the winner is €1,000 (£842).
There are three further awards that all entrants will automatically be considered for. The People’s Choice Award is voted for by Fespa’s online community across all categories and voting for this award will be open from 13 February 2023. The Best in Show Award and the Judges Award for Innovation are chosen by the Fespa Awards judges.
Entries for the 2023 awards must be submitted by Wednesday 25 January 2023. The shortlisted entries will be announced on Monday 13 March and will be displayed at Fespa Global Print Expo from 23 to 26 May at Messe Munich in Germany.
Entry is €100 (£84) per entry for members or €150 (£126) per entry for non-members. Visit the Fespa Awards website for details.
