Last chance for young people to enter Print Futures Awards 2020

An award scheme helping young people break into print and associated sectors is still going ahead despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Some of the winners from Yorkshire in 2019.Some of the winners from Yorkshire in 2019.
Some of the winners from Yorkshire in 2019.

The Printing Charity is still inviting young people aged between 18 and 30 to enter its flagship Print Futures Awards.

The awards are in their 11th year and help young people progress in print-related industries.

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The charity usually hosts a judging session, where applications are scrutinised by industry professionals.

Winners of the Print Futures Awards are then presented with their prize at a ceremony at the House of Lords.

However, due to the pandemic, the charity has said that it won’t be hosting the face-to-face judging sessions or the prize-giving reception in London.

Sophie Kirby, head of education and partnerships, said: “Between February and April, The Printing Charity invites those aged 18 to 30 and working in the UK print, paper, publishing and packaging sectors to apply to us for a grant of up to £1,500 to invest in themselves.

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“The applications give an insight into the exciting things that the young people in our industry are doing, and the challenges that they face. This helps inform the work of the charity to ensure we remain relevant.

“Despite these challenging times, our Print Futures Awards remain open for applications until April 26 for those young people who are able to consider their personal and professional development and how their skillset might be enhanced.”

Applications have been coming in but the charity has issued a final call for entries. Print Futures Awards are grants of up to £1,500 open to UK residents aged 18 to 30 years, supporting workplace skills and routes into employment in the UK printing, paper, packaging, publishing, and graphic arts sector.

They are now in their eleventh year and The Printing Charity has helped over 500 rising stars progress in a diverse range of roles and careers from the practical and creative to the highly technical and complex.

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At the launch of this year’s Print Futures Awards, Neil Lovell, chief executive of The Printing Charity, said: “This year we’d like to hear from people, who are keen to develop their softer skills such as courses and training for presentation skills, problem solving, and leadership.”

He added: “These are often overlooked but can make a real difference to someone’s development.”

Last year, the Print Futures Awards saw a total of 248 applications from across the country. There were 93 winners with 18 of those coming from Yorkshire. In fact, the interest in the region has been so strong that the charity started hosting a judging session in Leeds last year.

To apply visit: www.theprintingcharity.org.uk/education-and-partnerships/print-futures-awards/

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The Printing Charity says it is adapting to working differently following the outbreak of Covid-19.

It has been working with its sheltered home residents and regular beneficiaries, many of whom are vulnerable, to ensure they have someone friendly to talk to and to offer them practical and emotional support.

The class of 2019 from Yorkshire

The winners from Yorkshire in 2019 were:

JPIMedia Sheffield: Kimberley Mogg.

Adare SEC: Katie Claydon and Rebecca Field.

Communisis: Joe Barraclough, Rory Science and Adrianna Stypik.

Emerald Publishing: Adeeba Zahoor.

Instantprint: Leanne Bishop, Nathan Burton, Jasmin Hardy, Shannon Harrison and Lee Hollen.

ProCo: Katie Fox, George May and Kirsty Osborne.

Sheffield Hallam University: Chloe Daly. Sheffield University: Jess Timperley.

Weidmann Whiteley: Brett Smith