26 July 2011

Nine Winners for the Print Futures Awards 2011

Now in their eighth year of helping young people train for a job and future career in the UK printing, publishing and graphic arts industries

London, England, 18 July 2011: This year’s shortlisted applicants so impressed the judging panel that it decided to award nine Print Futures Awards under the annual scheme sponsored by the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), Unite the Union and The Printing Charity.

The nine winners had to convince the judges that they deserved an award to help them complete their studies or undertake short-term courses to further develop their skills. The awards of up to £1,500 each are open to people aged 16 to 30 years to help pay for tuition fees and other costs associated with part-time or full-time training courses or degree education.

“Every year I’m impressed by the enthusiasm of the applicants, but even more so this year,” said Dale Wallis, BPIF Membership Director. “The 2011 winners’ passion for design and print shone through.”
Steve Sibbald, Unite national officer, commented: “It’s vital that we invest in the industry’s future and encourage young people to develop the skills to take the industry forward. This year’s winners may be the innovators to do just that and we wish them all the best in their careers.”

Konica Minolta very kindly hosted the awards ceremony at its London headquarters on 13 July. The event was attended by senior representatives from the three sponsors and the industry, as well as the winners’ personal guests.

The 2011 Print Futures Awards winners are:

Francesca Tortora: Francesca works as a Project Manager for the BBC Performing Arts Fund. She has a first class honours BA in Music from Leeds University but working for the BBC has stimulated her interest in graphic design. She has already produced a range of print and digital materials and wishes to go further. Her award will fund a one-year, part-time course in graphic computer design at Shillington College, London.

Charlie Browning: Charlie is a student at the London College of Communication in his second year studying for a BA in Print Media Management As well as contributing to his course fee, Charlie hopes to spend some of his award funding a visit to the Drupa exhibition in Germany in 2012.

Mandy Horton: Mandy, who lives and works in Brighton, is employed as a junior designer and marketing executive with a Brighton agency. She already has a BA Hons degree in Fine Art Printmaking and a BTec Diploma in Art & Design and now plans an intensive summer course in the intricacies of the ancient art of letterpress!

Rebecca Foulkes: Rebecca is currently working for her family’s Brighton-based business, Colourfast. She will be using her award to fund a part-time web design course to enable her to develop a web design and web hosting service for customers.

Melanie Rogan: Melanie, who hails from Ireland, already has a BA Hons degree in Ancient History & Archaeology and History of Art and Architecture. She is now in her second year studying for a BA Hons in Graphic Design at the London Metropolitan University and will use the award to fund her studies, including summer courses to develop her skills.

Alexandra Lunn: Alexandra is studying Visual Communications Design at the Glasgow School of Art, where she is a student representative for two disciplines. She says her Print Futures Awards will allow her to complete her studies and undertake a one-month placement at the European Exchange Academy in Berlin.

Nazeefa Ahmed: Nazeefa has just completed her second year studying for a BA in Design and Colour Technology at the University of Leeds. She will use her award to fund an unpaid summer work placement and to buy an Apple Mac.

Marie Cleaver: Marie from Southsea in Hampshire has a passion for typography and graphic design and has achieved a first class BA Hons in Graphic Design. She will now be able to fund a Masters at the University of Portsmouth and pursue research into one of her major areas of interest – the gap between science and information design.

Jasmine Paradine-James: Jasmine is keen to finish a third and final year at the London College of Communication and complete her degree in Graphic Design. “I’m excited and committed to embarking on a career involved in designing for all things print based,” she says.

To find out more about the Print Futures Awards, see www.printfuturesawards.com or contact Terry Ulrick, the Awards Secretary, on 01444 831918 or email: [email protected]

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