The Printing Industries Craftsmanship Awards are the first casualties of major changes to the National Print Awards as the industry wrestles with lower revenues, fewer entries and widespread dissatisfaction with the awards process.
The awards will return to a direct entry model from 2015 and PICAs in all but three states will be scrapped from this year as cash-strapped sponsors are unable to support two levels of awards.
Events in WA, Queensland and Tasmania will go ahead this year as they are already scheduled, but gold medal winners will no longer be pre-qualified for the national awards and will have to go through the direct entry process.
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The awards overhaul is being conducted in light of a review of the entire process by former IPMG chief executive Stephen Anstice, which PIAA chief executive Bill Healey says has 'identified ways to enhance an already good system to take into account industry changes.'
Healey says an expanded subcommittee will be set up, headed by new NPA chair and deputy PIAA president Susan Heaney, to oversee the awards and work with the chairman of judges to select judges, review categories annually and manage the judging process.
“This is intended to ensure consistency, thoroughness, transparency and to reflect current technological and process trends in the category and judging processes. Members of the existing committee have been invited to join the revamped arrangement,” he says.
Healey says the overhauled category list will be released in August to give printers time to prepare their entries and submit at the end of the year, and that the list will likely be shorter than previous years.
He says the distinctions between digital and offset process categories is likely to continue and that new digital categories will be introduced in recognition of its increasing use.
Though there have been suggestions that the awards should look at the entire package including design, Healey says the emphasis will remain on print quality, and that the future of business awards is still to be discussed.
Healey adds it is likely similar awards categories will be combined to streamline the process and make way for new ones.
“Some categories do not have a lot of support and do not have many entries in some states,” he says.
“I think the general feeling is that we shouldn’t lose categories altogether but amalgamate them with others, so printers can still enter their work but may be competing with a wider range of products.
“We have can’t add new categories without taking some out or we will be there for two days. I think we need to make the formal part of the night shorter.”
He says areas like embellishing need more attention and could see more awards on the list.
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The judging process and criteria will also be overhauled to address issues arising from the move back to a direct entry model.
Healey says he is keen for Luke Wooldridge to stay on as chairman of judges and, when contacted by ProPrint, Wooldridge said he would like to remain in the role and help bring in the necessary changes.
The judging panel will be greatly expanded from its current six members, as they will have to judge awards from all around the country, not just finalists sent from PICAs.
Healey says instead of having the same judges assess every category, experts on each of them may be brought in to judge awards in their area of speciality, but that the logistics of this could prove tricky.
“We also have to make sure all states are well represented, so it’s a balancing act,” he says.
“I would like to see as little change as possible to the existing committee and judges, but they will have to be expanded beyond that.”
Judging criteria will also be nationalised across the process to avoid the discrepancies that have existed between state awards in the past.
“We want to make sure it is the preeminent way to recognise and showcase quality in the industry, so we need consistency in recognition,” he says.
Healey also wants to use the awards to promote the industry as a whole, collaborating with organisations like Two Sides Australia.
“It’s a great opportunity to show the power of print and its benefit for clients," he says.
[Related: 2014 NPA coverage]
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