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The Stationers’ Hall provided the venue for the PrintIT! 2007 awards ceremony, which saw students Sarah Kitching and Emily Webzell of Keswick School, Cumbria awarded ‘Overall Winners of PrintIT! 2006/7’ and an expenses paid trip to the Windward Islands to visit a Fairtrade banana plantation. The ceremony, which was given a celebrity boost by guest speaker, BBC news presenter and patron of The Fairtrade Foundation, George Alagiah, marked the conclusion of the Stationers’ Educational Charity Annual Careers Day.

The overall winning entry of PrintIT! 2006/7 was selected from the seven category winners. Comments Martyn Elmy, chairman of PrintIT!, “Sarah’s and Emily’s entry stood out because it was innovative and offered strong brand identity. They exhibited a unique style and made good use of the opportunity to employ vibrant colours. Their entry was also well-presented and clearly demonstrated that a level of research into the printing processes had been undertaken”.

As well as taking the top prize in the 2006/7 PrintIT! campaign, Sarah Kitching and Emily Webzell scooped the category award for ‘Best Use of Brand Across the Range’, recognising the consistent use of their design concept throughout their print-centric PrintIT! entry.

“It is a great testament to our industry,” continued Mr Elmy,“ that we can all pull together to support our joint ambition of attracting youth into print, through the efforts of PrintIT! and its partners, sponsors, and the companies and organisations that have given up their time today to lend their support to the Stationers’ Annual Careers Day. We’re delighted that PrintIT! has been part of this careers event, and I have no doubt that all the students and their teachers will have gained considerably from their visit to Stationers’ Hall today.”

As in year one, the Fairtrade Foundation provided the theme of the 2006/7 PrintIT! competition which challenged participating schools to create a comprehensive ‘print-centric’ campaign to support the promotion of Fairtrade Fruit. This year, the curriculum-mapped competition was extended to Year 10 students (aged 15-16) in their first year of their Product Design GCSE as well as for GCSE Graphic Products students. The aim of the project was to introduce students to the unique and stimulating appeal of print as an absorbing and rewarding career.

Adds Martyn Elmy, “I’ve said before that we can expect no immediate return from PrintIT!, and our ambition is that some of the many thousands of students that have followed the PrintIT! course during the past two and coming years will join our industry in the future. We need a talented, youthful and vibrant workforce to keep our industry competitive, and I’m confident that having judged the entries of PrintIT! 2006/7, we have a huge potential wealth of creative and talented individuals.”

Joining Picon as its lead partner for PrintIT! 2006/7 was The Stationers’ Company Educational Charity, as well as key partners the BPIF, Fairtrade Foundation, The Robert Horne Group and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT).

All the winning students in each of the seven different award categories were presented with individual prizes of digital cameras with 1GB of memory to the value of £300. Category runners up were presented with a digital camera with 1GB of memory valued at £150 each. In addition, the winning schools in each category will win a significant print-related prize.

List of PrintIT! 2006/7 Prize Winners :

Overall Winner of PrintIT! 2006/7
Sarah Kitching and Emily Webzell - Keswick School, Cumbria and their teacher Mr Alan Nanson.

2006/7 Category Winners:

• Best Sticker Design
Josh Pring – Queen Elizabeth’s Community College in Crediton, Devon

• Best Design for the Sticker Collection Device
Reiss Harvey and Phil Johncock – Kennet School in Thatcham, Berkshire

• Best T-Shirt Design
Simran Bahra – Burnham Grammar School in Burnham, Berkshire

• Best Use of Brand across the Range
Sarah Kitching and Emily Webzell - Keswick School, Cumbria

• Best Understanding of Printing Techniques
Phoebe Pring – Nailsea School, Avon

• Best Use of Materials
Jonathan Robinson, Thomas Smith and Blake Curwen – Kirkbie Kendal School, Kendal, Cumbria

• Best Overall Presentation
Sinae Hudson and Sonam Vadher – De Ferrers School, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire

2006/7 Special awards

• Best Twinning Printer
The Printing House, Crewe (Mr Martyn Winstanley, Managing Director)

• Best Teacher
Mr Heath Adams, Head of Graphics at Dene Magna Technology College in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire
(Award accepted on behalf of Mr Adams by Sarah Tufnell, Deputy Head of Dene Magna Technology College)

• Best Overall School Effort
Northampton Boys School
(Award accepted on behalf of Northampton Boys School by Mr Barry Ratcliffe – Head of Graphics)

• Best PrintIT! Student
Kirsty Clarke – Attleborough High School, Norfolk

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Attached: A PDF of all the shortlisted category entries for PrintIT! 2006/7

The 2006/7 PrintIT! teachers pack and students workbooks are downloadable from the members area of the PrintIT! website: www.printit.org.uk
Name: Free Field (name)
Password: GRP1237

Awards Ceremony Photography:
Hi resolution digital images will be available after the event from lodea@adcomms.co.uk or lwilliams@adcomms.co.uk

PrintIT! Partners:
Picon – creators and leaders of PrintIT!
The Stationers’ Educational Charity – lead partners
The BPIF, Fairtrade Foundation, Robert Horne Group and Specialist School and Academies Trust (SSAT) – Key partners

Print IT! Sponsors:
Canon, City Fringe Partnership, Duplo International, Fujifilm, GVMC, GOSS International, Graphic Inline, HP, Image Reports, Kodak, Komori, Linney Group, Polestar, Print & Paper Monthly, PrintWeek, Printing World, Proskills, Screen Process & Digital Imaging, Sun Chemical, The Print Business.

PrintIT! Supporters:
AD Communications, Belmont Press, Formara, Friedheim, GAE, Howard Smith Paper Group, IIR, KBA, Marlowe Graphics, PDQ Digital Media, Polestar Chantry, Polestar Wheatons, Russell-Webb, Tech-ni-Fold.

Issued on behalf of Print IT! by AD Communications Ltd.
For further information, please contact:

Lucy O’Dea/Richard Allen Paul Evans
AD Communications Ltd Picon
Tel: 01372 464470 Tel: 01483 412000
Email: lodea@adcomms.co.uk paul@picon.co.uk