Momento Pro has won the best of show award at the 2019 Premier Print Awards, run by Printing Industries of America, beating out 2,238 other entries from 13 countries.

The Sydney-based printer took home the prize for its collector’s edition art book, Middlehurst | Middle Earth, by Australian landscape photographer Peter Eastway. 

Momento Pro first won the 2019 Best of Category for Art Books (4 or more colours) in June, representing the most outstanding coffee-table book devoted to the reproduction of art, photography, or artistic collections. In their decision, the Judges noted that, “The title of this masterpiece is Middle Earth but a better title might be out of this world! Each spread is a visual feast for the senses. In the toughest category, this is numero uno. Extraordinary colour!” 

In October, at the Premier Print Awards Gala dinner in Chicago, the book was also awarded ‘Best of Show’, which compares all the Best of Category winners against each other. Award manager Mike Packard said, “This was as close to a unanimous decision as we have ever had. Middlehurst | Middle Earth is a collector’s item. Congrats Momento Pro on your Best in Show.”

Geoff Hunt, co-founder, Momento Pro, says, “Winning the ‘Best of Show’ is humbling recognition of our 15 year focus on quality not quantity, for all our products, and for all our customers – consumers, professionals, photographers, artists and corporates. We’ll also continue helping Antipodeans preserve their artwork and memories in world class quality prints, right here in Sydney, and prove that printing photographs is far from dead.” 

This self-published limited edition book is 42 x 42cm, inkjet-printed, and features photography from renowned Australian photographer Peter Eastway. 

The book was handcrafted from the highest quality materials with the longest lifespan available today. It was printed onto 100 per cent cotton rag using Epson Ultrachrome archival inks, and colour profiles created by international colour expert Les Walkling. These were the same ingredients that led Momento Pro to winning the Art Books (4 or more colours) category in 2016 for the Ken Duncan Portfolio Collection – also a collector’s item. 

Since the family-owned print-on-demand photo book service was established in 2004, Momento Pro has won 100 print awards. It has also established the first photo book awards in Australia and New Zealand; co-founding the first photo book festivals in Australia and New Zealand; contributing to the preservation of 52 antipodean photo books in the Tate (UK); supporting the launch of hundreds of self published books; and establishing programs to assist students and camera club members. 

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