Entries now open for the Label Industry Global Awards 2018

The search is underway for the world’s leading pioneers and innovators in the label and package printing industry! Marking 15 years of Label Industry Global Awards, this year there are four prizes up for grabs at the industry’s prestigious Oscars, as the awards honor those organizations and individuals who have excelled in the label and package printing sector through innovation and best practice.

In acknowledgment of this, and new for 2018 is the R. Stanton Avery Pioneer Award, sponsored by Avery Dennison, which honors the contribution an individual has made which has really impacted the label and package printing sector, whether their pioneering work has spanned two years or two decades. Bestowed in memory of Stan Avery’s pioneering spirit and values, the award is a significant update to the previously named R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award in order to better reflect the industry as it is today – one embracing innovation and tackling major environmental challenges such as label waste.

Previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Professor Tan of PEIAC, Tomas Rink of Ritrama, Helmut Schreiner of Schreiner Group, Suzanne Zaccone of GSI Technologies, and Neil McDonough of FlexCon.

The Award for Innovation, sponsored by Flint Group Narrow Web, goes to companies based on size; one award for those with over 300 employees and another for those with less than 300 employees. Entries must be for the development of a specific innovation by a supplier or converter in 2017 and can either be for a new business process or technology.

HERMA won the 2017 Award (companies over 300 employees) for its superTack (63Vst) innovation, the world’s first resin-free adhesive for labels that require an extremely strong initial tack.

AIM, the trade association for the automatic identification industry, won the second innovation category Award (companies with less than 300 employees) for its 2D color barcode - Ultracode - process that enables the automatic capture of data by any digital color camera or smartphone.

The Award for Sustainability acknowledges a new sustainable product or process introduced by a company during 2017. Ebeam Technologies took last year’s award for its development of a compact electron beam curing system for narrow web presses which now makes low-energy, photo-initiator-free curing accessible for label and package printing production.

Mike Fairley, chair of the judges, said: “The Label Industry Global Awards are the highest accolade within the label and package printing industry. I, along with the judging panel, never cease to be impressed with the incredibly high standard of entries from an innovative sector that’s positively brimming with talent and enthusiasm. I am very much looking forward to meeting this year’s judging panel finalists and winners at Labelexpo and to celebrating their successes.

"All entries go through a rigorous judging process and the bar is set extremely high, so these Awards have led many previous winners to find new clients and opportunities and inspired others in the sector to succeed. We look forward to recognizing even more trailblazing organizations and their employees as part of our 15th annual Label Industry Global Awards celebration in 2018.”

He added: “As a reflection of the sector’s ever more innovative use of technology to create fantastic products, we are delighted to introduce the Pioneer Award this year, and we urge all sectors of the package printing industry to submit their nominations as soon as possible.”

Entry is free and submissions must be received by 18 May 2018. Finalists, along with the winner of the R. Stanton Avery Pioneer Award, will be announced in June. All winners will be announced during Labelexpo Americas, held in Chicago, at a gala evening event on 25 September. Entry forms and full details of how to enter are available at www.labelawards.com.

Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdjJp-T5zzk for a taster of what’s in store for this year.