6 August 2018

The Print Futures Awards celebrate new talent in the industry

Winners of the 2018 Print Futures Awards for people aged 18 to 30 years were presented with their Awards at an event at the House of Lords on 26 July kindly hosted by Lord Black of Brentwood, Deputy Chairman of the Telegraph Media Group and President Emeritus of The Printing Charity.

Presenting the Awards, Lord Black said: "This evening is always a cause for celebration and this year's Print Futures Awards are more successful than ever. It is the largest single awards event for young people and this year there were 302 applicants of extremely high calibre and 91 winners. Applications came from across the UK, covering a whole range of disciplines.
"As we change and meet the challenge of the future, people of talent and ambition will always flourish and that is why the Print Futures Awards are so important and the winners should take pride in achieving them."

Lord Black also paid tribute to Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, who died earlier this year. She was an icon of the printing industry, a huge supporter of The Printing Charity, a champion of young people, and hosted the Print Futures Awards event for many years.

Neil Lovell, The Printing Charity's Chief Executive, said: "People in the sector are always talking about needing to bring in new talent and showing how diverse it is and these Awards help to support that call for action. These 91 young people from every area of the sector are a really great sign. They show more young people have clear plans to enter the sector while those already in the sector, including apprentices, see a positive future and are passionate about progressing within it. There is obviously more to do in making the sector attractive to young people, which is why we want more of the sector involved in future.
"These are prestigious Awards and the winners had to show their commitment to working in the sector in front of a panel of judges from the sector."

This year's winners from the Eastern and South Eastern regions are Billy Gibbs O'Riordan from Precision Printing who will use the grant to complete further courses to progress his managerial career. Charley Henley from Hobbs the Printers who would like to study for an English Literature qualification through the Open University.

For more information about the winners, see https://www.theprintingcharity.org.uk/2018-winners/