Carbon8 from Marrickville in Sydney’s Inner West was the night’s biggest NPA winner - with four Golds and a Bronze - followed by Styleprint from Kilsyth South in Melbourne’s east - with three Golds and two Bronze - at Friday’s nationwide presentations of this year’s state PICAs and 38th National Print Awards. Printer of the Year – Large Format went to Cactus Imaging for its Sandstones Building Wrap. Cactus founder Keith Ferrel also received the Media Super Lifetime Achievement Award.
38th National Print Awards in Brisbane (photo: Visual Connections)
Printing Industry Creativity Awards (PICA) award winners from Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia were announced earlier in the evening, with the ‘Best of the Best’ national winners announced later at a gala presentation dinner in Brisbane hosted by the Print and Visual Communications Association (PVCA) and presented by Walkley Award winning journalist Patrick Condren.
In a pandemic-inspired move, the Victorian PICA presentations were hosted prior to the National Print Awards Presentation Dinner at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, and livestreamed to Victorians and South Australians in their homes. The NSW and WA PICAs were presented at satellite events held concurrently in Sydney and Perth.
The NSW PICAs were presented at a dinner at Ovolo in Woolloomooloo, while the WA honours were announced at a similar function at Crown in Perth. Like those held already in Brisbane and Adelaide, this provided a welcome opportunity to catch up with industry friends and colleagues after what has been a lean time for industry events.
Ongoing COVID restrictions in Victoria meant their presentations were live-streamed from Brisbane to living rooms across the state, with guests enjoying gourmet hampers and wine which had been delivered to their doors for the presentations.
NSW PICAs
In the NSW PICAs, Carbon8 topped the medal tally with five Gold, three Silver and one Bronze award. Their top awards were won for Printer of the Year – Digital, Book Printing – Digital, Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures – Digital, Self-Promotion and Multi-piece Promotions & Campaigns.
Another three Golds went to Rawson Print Co for Book Printing – Offset, Printer of the Year – Packaging and Printer of the Year – Offset. The company also bagged a Silver and a Bronze. Who Printing took out a pair of Gold medals for Leaflets, Flyers & Brochures – Offset and Stationery Printing, and complemented those with a Silver and three Bronze awards.
Kwik Kopy Darling Harbour scooped the pool for Small Business Printer of the Year with up to 12 employees, taking home the Gold, Silver and Bronze in that category and Multi-Color Corporation took two top awards home to Griffith, for Embellishment and Printer of the Year – Labelling.
Satellite Print took out Gold for Booklets, Catalogues and Magazines, along with a trio of Silver and Bronze medallions, and Pegasus Print Group took out the Gold for Commercial Printing, along with two Silver and one Bronze award.
Other Gold medal winners included Momento Pro in Limited Editions and Cactus Imagine for Large Format, a category where Silver went to SOS Print + Media.
Posterboy Printing won a Gold for specialty printing.
The medal tally was rounded out by AB Corp, who won two Silvers and a Bronze on the night, Peachy Print with a Silver and Bronze, while Impact International, Intoprint and Noakes Design all took home Bronze.
VIC PICAs
In Victoria, 15 Gold medals were awarded, with Styleprint the clear leader taking out five of the top awards for Commercial Printing, Self-Promotion, Large Format, Branding & Identity and Multi-Piece Promotions & Campaigns. Taylor’d Press took home two Gold for Stationery Printing and Small Business Printer of the Year – up to 12 Employees, as well as two Silvers and a Bronze. Ellikon Fine Printers also scored two major gongs, for Book Printing – Offset, and Limited Editions.
Multi-Color Victoria’s haul included a Gold for Printer of the Year – Labelling, along with four Silver and four Bronze medals. Others on the Gold Medal leader board included Peacock Brothers, named Printer of the Year – Digital, CMYK Colour Online for Book Printing - Digital, Note Printing Australia for Specialty Printing, Matte Gold for Embellishment and Networkpak for Printer of the Year – Packaging.
Two Silvers and a Bronze went to Complete Colour Printing, with Silver Awards also won by Print2Metal, United Labels and Breen Printing. The Print Department and Magnum Signs scored Bronze awards.
WA PICAs
At the top of the leader board for Western Australia was Multi-Color (WA), which won a Gold Award for Embellishment, as well as Gold, Silver and Bronze for Printer of the Year – Digital. Scotts took out a similar trifecta, scooping the medal pool in the Book Printing – Offset category.
Other big winners included S&T Graphic Design & Colour Print who won Gold for Leaflets, Flyers & Brochures – Digital, as well as a Silver Award, Clockwork Printing which took home Gold for Book Printing – Digital and also scored a Bronze, and Intafoil, with Silver and Bronze medals to their name.
National Winners Named at 38th NPAs
The National Print Awards was presented following the remaining state PICAs, in a tightly timed event that was broadcast simultaneously into five states across four time zones.
Established nearly 40 years ago, the National Print Awards recognise and encourage the achievement of excellence in print in Australia. Over the years, the Awards have evolved alongside the industry, to represent all aspects of our diverse and exciting sector.
This year, a sizeable crowd gathered in the Sky Room & Terrace at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre for a sit-down dinner to cap off the industry’s ultimate awards competition with the presentation of the 38th National Print Awards.
MC’d by well-known Walkley award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Patrick Condren, the presentation dinner saw Carbon8 from New South Wales crowned as the night’s biggest winner with four Gold Awards and a Bronze, followed by Victoria’s Styleprint taking three Golds and two Bronze.
In the battle for State dominance, New South Wales took the 2021 honours with seven Gold, followed by Victoria with six and Queensland with four. Two medals headed over to Tasmania following the presentations, with the final Gold medal chalked up to South Australia.
Printer of the Year – Offset, was awarded to Rawson Print Co for The BOND Book, with Multi Color Corporation taking out Silver and Rawson also winning Bronze. No Gold medals were awarded in the 1,2,3 – Print! Category, but AB Corp took out Silver and Mercury Walch a Bronze.
Carbon8 took home Gold for Printer of the Year – Digital, for Dive West Papua just pipping CCL Labels with Silver, and Peacock Bros Pty Ltd with Bronze. That same job also won Carbon8 its second Gold, this time in Book Printing – Digital. Colour Chiefs took out Silver and The Fotobase Group the Bronze in that category.
The Gold award for Book Printing – Offset, a staple since the Awards were first introduced, went to Foot & Playstead for Joseph Chromy – One Man’s Legacy, with Silver to Ellikon Fine Printers and Bronze to Scotts.
In Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures – Offset the Gold was won by Eckersley Print Group for Padua Strategic Plan 2021 – 2023 with a Silver in that category going to WHO Printing. A third Gold went to Carbon8 in the digital section for Midtown Centre with The Fotobase Group and S&T Graphic Design and Colour Print taking out Bronze.
Another perennial NPA favourite is the Booklets, Catalogues and Magazines categories 15 and 16. Here, the Offset Gold was won by Intoprint for The Siding, with Fast Proof Press taking out Silver. Colour Chiefs won Gold for Digital for Topia Edition - Azure, with Satellite Print and Openbook Howden Print & Design taking out the Silver and Bronze.
In the Specialty Printing section, Australia’s new $100 bank note won top honours for Note Printing Australia with Cutler Brands Pty Ltd awarded Silver and Posterboy Printing won Bronze.
In category 18, Commercial Printing, Styleprint took home a Gold medal for Mecca Holiday 2020 with a Bronze awarded to Pegasus Print Group, while Focal Printing Tasmania took out the Gold in another perennial favourite, Stationery Printing, with Inclusive Creatives Stationery. The Silver in that category went to Taylor’d Press and the Bronze to Heaney’s Performers in Print.
The Embellishment category always attracts some beautiful entries, and this year was no exception, with CCL Label winning the top gong for a stunningly embellished label for Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Matured Shiraz. Silver was won by Matte Gold and Bronze by Multi-Color Corporation (Griffith).
Multi-Color Corporation scooped the pool in the Printer of the Year – Labelling, with a Gold for Victoria for Ganglin Mandarin Chilli Gin, a Silver for SA and the Bronze going to Queensland. When it came to Self-Promotion, Styleprint took out the Gold for Styleprint Escape from 2020, with Fast Proof Press winning Silver for their calendar and the Bronze going to Carbon8.
Printer of the Year – Large Format went to Cactus Imaging for Sandstones Building Wrap with Colour Chiefs taking Silver and Styleprint the Bronze, while the similar award for Packaging was won by Networkpak for Pure Body Luxe. Silver was taken home to Tasmania by Mercury Walch and the Bronze to Rawson Print Co.
Kuhn Corp, which scooped the pool at the Queensland Awards, won the Small Business Printer for the Year – Up to 12 Employees, taking home Gold for IGA Marketplace Magazine – Christmas 2020 with Silver going to EPM and Bronze to Taylor’d Press.
Styleprint added a third Gold, this time for Branding & Identity for Baker’s Delight BCNA Insta Wall, with Silver and Bronze in that category going to The Fotobase Group, while Carbon8 rounded out rounded out its tally of five Gold, taking out the top award for Multi-Piece Promotions & Campaigns with Kurraba Residences ahead of The Fotobase Group who won Silver and Styleprint who took home Bronze. Designer of the Year went to Sunshine Coast Design for Noosa – The Guide produced for Saturate and Printed by Sunprint Pty Ltd.
Chair of Judges, Luke Wooldridge, said the judging of the 2021 State Printing Industry Creativity Awards saw the panel of industry experts review well over 300 entries across 32 categories, first selecting the PICA winners for each state, then comparing the Gold Medal winning entries from across Australia for the Judges’ Awards and National Print Awards honours.
“While the awards continue to be judged on craftsmanship and print quality, other criteria such as aesthetics, creativity, innovation and the user experience are also major factors in deciding the winning entries, with judges examining every aspect of every job in detail to check for imperfections,” Wooldridge said. “The print entries received this year were of the highest quality and reflective of the high standard of production for which Australian print industry is renowned; they were truly world class.
Individual and business awards, which are separately nominated and judged, were also presented on the night.
Impact International won Gold in the Environmental Sustainability Award, with Silver awarded to Eckersley Group and Bronze to Sunprint Pty Ltd. The Workplace Environment Award went to IVE Group.
Zaidee Jackson from Ball & Doggett was named winner of the Exceptional Women in Print Award, and Chris Grant from Active Display Group won Media Super Young Executive of the Year.
Cactus Imaging founder Keith Ferrel was honoured for his outstanding contribution to the industry with the Media Super Lifetime Achievement Award.
Walter Kuhn, President of the PVCA, which hosts the Awards, says the night reflected the industry’s resilience, flexibility and strength.
“It was wonderful to be able to recognise the achievement of excellence in print, and to pay tribute to the people and businesses who are leading the way in our industry,” he said, adding that it was particularly pleasing to see many across the country finally able to get together and celebrate.
“Despite the challenges of the past 12 months, Friday evening proved that, even in the toughest of times, our industry businesses are producing work which is as good, if not better, than ever. We sincerely congratulate all the winners and look forward to the 2022 Printing Awards, which will kick off early in the new year.”
The full list of winners and entry titles can be found here.
