The Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) has added a Small Business Sign category to the ASGA/FESPA Australia 2020 HP Awards - the premier sign industry awards event to be held in May during the Visual Impact Gold Coast trade show.
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| ASGA Awards 2018 at Sydney Olympic Park |
“We have introduced a new category - the Small Business Sign Award - open to businesses with five or fewer staff, ASGA GM Michael Punch told members in a newsletter. “The popular People's Choice Award is being given a second run and, of course, we highlight the future of our industry with the Young Star Award.
“We have taken the signature event out of Sydney for the first time and, with the strong support of Visual Connections, this highlight evening will light up the Convention and Exhibition Centre at Broadbeach,” Punch said.
“We are delighted to have HP as the Diamond Sponsor with event naming rights and already numerous other gold sponsors have stepped forward keen to be involved in this night of nights - as well as gain significant marketing coverage in the preceding months. Sponsors are always welcome and their company, services and products will be showcased in the months leading up to the Presentation Dinner on Friday 1st May 2020.”
For the first time, entries are available online, making it easier for companies keen to reward their staff for their craftsmanship and expertise in a wide variety of signage creation and installation, Punch said.
“As always, the variety of categories gives the opportunity for companies involved in graphics, fabrication, engraving, illumination, traditional skills, vinyl and vehicle wraps, total shop fit-outs and many others to showcase their output over the last eighteen months. Point of purchase products, t-shirts and garments, printed fabrics and textiles all have entry points.”
The presentation dinner on Friday night 1st May will be the conclusion of a two-day conference being held concurrently with the Visual Impact trade show. The conference begins with a cocktail party on Wednesday evening, 29th April.
The first keynote presenter the following morning will be Stephen Bradbury, whose expertise and success as a motivational speaker is renowned across Australia. Sessions to follow over two days will cover key topics such as the best ways of marketing yourself, your company's products and services using social media, as well as staff management insights and sustainability challenges.
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| ASGA Awards 2018 at Sydney Olympic Park |
CATEGORIES: ASGA / FESPA AUSTRALIA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2020
1. DIGITAL MEDIA (LED & LCD)
This Award covers signs that successfully integrate digital media such as LED or LCD or interactive mechanisms into a total signage solution. Entries will be indoor and outdoor signs that have scheduling, updating or content management capabilities. The ability of the signmaker to skilfully incorporate quality digital componentry into a sign with particular attention to the quality of the design craftsmanship and finish is important along with the “wow” factor to the viewer.
The entry must show the variety of the digital changes occurring in the sign. Signs may include pylon, directional, wayfinding, advertising and architectural applications.
2. DIRECTIONAL & WAYFINDING SIGNS
This Award assesses the overall directional or wayfinding signage project and may include proprietary or non-proprietary signage systems or products, and signage can comprise any form.
3. ENGRAVING
This award covers any engraved sign or image using a rotary engraving machine or any laser produced sign or image using a CO2 laser machine. Output would include directories, nameplates, mimic panels, presentations and awards etc on any selected material.
4. FABRICATION
This award may include 3D fabricated letters, free standing plinth signs and may include metals, plastics and timber, hand carved or machine carved (or sculpted) signage in any material.
5. FABRICATION – LARGE PYLON & SKY SIGNS
This award includes pylon signs and sky signs and may include metals, plastics and timber, etc.
6. FUNCTIONAL & INDUSTRIAL
This category will cover printed products such as printed electronics, membrane switches and overlays, electro-luminescent signage, In-Mold Decoration (IMD), solar cells, facias and interface products, glass and ceramic.
7. ILLUMINATION – LEDs
This award covers the design and application of LED technology in our industry scope. Entries must be accompanied by day and night photographs.
8. ILLUMINATION – NEON
This award covers applications of neon glass to illuminate signage or to create special lighting effects and may include signage on walls, advertising signs, shopfronts, skysigns, architectural applications etc. Entries must be accompanied by day and night photographs.
9. INSTALLATION
The skill and difficulty of installation and/or project management of installation projects: this could be in-house or a submission by the sub-contractor. If a sub-contractor has done the install, permission must have been obtained from the contracted principal company. Companies must describe the work that was performed by their staff and the work which was performed by sub- contractors.
10. LARGE FORMAT DIGITAL PRINT
This Award recognises and acknowledges the skill level based on accurately replicating the artwork provided including the colouring, its ‘wow’ factor and the strategic placement on a site to achieve maximum impact.
11. ORIGINAL IN-HOUSE DESIGN CONCEPT
This Award assesses the fundamental design aspects of a sign or display where the design concept was developed in-house, irrespective of whether the sign or display was manufactured in-house or contracted out to a third party.
12. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
This award is separate from the main award categories in that it cannot be entered directly. All entries will be showcased online and judged by the community from Thursday 2 April to Thursday 30 April 2020. An entry which does not win in its original category or categories is still eligible to win this award.
13. POINT OF PURCHASE PRODUCTS
This category will cover point of purchase displays printed on plastics, paper and board, fabrics. Can include backlit displays, lenticular and special effects.
14. PRINTED FABRICS & TEXTILES
This category will cover printed textiles & fabrics for soft signage, banners and flags, furnishings printed using direct to garment, sublimation.
15. RETAIL SIGN PACKAGE
This award will recognise the skills involved in the design, manufacture and installation of the total signage package of a retail outlet. This can include the entire graphics package, even down to the stationery.
16. ROUTER OUTPUT
Entries for this award need to be produced on a router and can be any sign, logo, image or output produced (excluding engraving see Category 6) where a sign, graphic or image is the main subject.
17. SMALL SIGN BUSINESS AWARD
This Award is open to businesses of five or fewer staff. It recognises small businesses who consistently turn out high quality work of any type of signage. Pictures should be included of work done between 1 July 2018 and 2 March 2020, which shows flair, expertise and quality workmanship (at least 4 projects). Provide a brief description of your business (how long trading, how many employees, type of services offered – eg design, manufacture, installation etc) along with some information on the difficulties overcome in the projects that you have showcased.
18. TRADITIONAL SIGNCRAFT SKILLS / AIRBRUSHING OR HANDPAINTED MURALS
This award recognises and acknowledges the traditional hand skills still being practised in our industry today and may include hand lettering, mask and spray, signwriting, sandblasting, screen printing, gilding, glue chipping etc. Signage may include vehicles, walls, shopfronts, etc.
The Award also includes signage where airbrushing techniques or murals form a substantial part of the completed sign and may include signage on walls, vehicles, banners and general signage.
19. T-SHIRTS & GARMENTS
This category will cover T-Shirts and garments printed through screen printing, direct to garment, transfers and embroidery.
20. VEHICLE WRAPS – Full Vehicle
This award recognises and encourages the specific skill required to design and apply signage known as “vehicle body wraps”. Vehicles may include cars, vans, buses, boats, trucks and bikes.
21. VINYL
This award comprises signage predominantly made from “off the shelf” adhesive vinyls and may include signs on walls, vehicles, banners, shopfronts, stickers, decals and general signage. Vehicles may include cars, vans, buses, boats, trucks and bikes. It will include any design and application of a vehicle wrap and direct lettering.
22. YOUNG STAR AWARDS
This category will cover any outstanding work done across all the categories by those in our Training Centres in whatever year of their training.
Work competed between July 2018 - March 2020 is eligible for entry.
Terms and conditions for awards entry can be found here.
For a list of all the categories, visit here.
If you have any questions on the online entry process, contact Event Manager - Jenny Harris by email: jennyh@visualconnections.org.au or call 02 9868 1577.
If your query is regarding category clarification or payment information, please contact ASGA general manager Michael Punch by email: michael_punch@signs.org.au or call 0448 274 211.
