At a glittering formal gala dinner in The Ballroom at Monte Casino, the South African Printing, Packaging and Signage industry turned out on Thursday 20 October in its finery to celebrate The Pinnacle of Excellence in all aspects of printing.

The winners in 34 categories of print ranging from litho through to flexo, signage through to gravure and print design through to environmental considerations were announced to the almost 400 guests assembled to celebrate printing in all its facets. The real hero of the event was print quality as printers in all sectors showed that attention to detail and the drive for quality of the highest calibre is still the primary concern for discerning and conscientious printers.

The GAPP Awards was designed to be an all-encompassing printing competition judging all different types of printing with the aim of promoting print quality and creating a sense of pride in the industry to which we are affiliated. Printing, in all its facets, makes an extremely valuable contribution to the economy of the country and despite the challenges that printing has faced in recent years, is still a viable and essential communications medium.

Work on establishing the awards commenced a little over two years ago and culminated in the gala dinner. The process included devising a list of categories which would encompass all aspects of the industry, creating an event format and even designing a bespoke, hand-made trophy and modern certificates featuring a custom-designed unigram. In consultation with the industry and through the assistance of our Convener of Judges Erich Kühl, the list of categories grew from the initial 20 to 30.

At the same time, sponsorships from industry players not only ensured that a memorable event took place but also showed that the industry supported this initiative. Almost a year ago the process of receiving entries was opened with the creation of a dedicated booking website where companies could log their entries online. An agreement with a courier company allowed printers to submit entries easily and without incurring any extra costs over and above their entry fee. The entry fee meant that a very real and practical contribution to the industry can be made. A portion of every paid entry fee is being allocated to the establishment of a training bursary fund which will allow new, willing people to be trained to work in the printing, packaging and signage industry.

According to Vikesh Roopchand, managing director of Sentient Publishing, publisher of The GAPP Magazine, ‘We are passionate about this industry, not only because our livelihood comes from this industry but also because we know and understand the true value of printing in the communications spread. As individuals our link to the printing, packaging and signage industries extends far beyond the magazine. The GAPP Awards is our way of recognising the true worth of this industry and the varied players who make it what it is.’

Entries, once submitted and received, underwent a pre-judging process to ensure that they were judged against similar entries. The judges were given the directive to ensure that entries were ideally placed in order to allow them to be correctly judged. The judges actually determined that in certain of the categories it was essential to split the category in order to make the judging process fair and representative. The determination was also made that in order for an entry to be considered eligible to receive a Gold Award it would have to achieve a minimum score of 80 per cent.

The judging panel, under the guidance of Erich Kuhl consisted of Gavin Turner of Intamarket, Kevin Naidu from Kemtek, Vaughan Patterson of Ricoh, Gisele Gurgel of Tetra Pak, Caroline Coughlan of Antalis, Neill Moross of Troika, industry consultant Keith Solomon and Johan Swanepoel of UVO Communication. Each judge brought with them specific knowledge and expertise which was used extensively in the judging process. The Judges determined that in three of the final 34 categories no Gold Award would be presented.

Where applicable, either two or three Winning Achiever awards were presented per category along with a Bronze, Silver and Gold award. Certificates were presented for each level of award along with a custom-designed, hand-made trophy for the top three levels in each category.

Almost 400 printers, signage manufacturers, packaging manufacturers and suppliers to the industry came together to acknowledge and recognise the very best quality and the achievements by the companies who had submitted the more than 350 entries across the 34 categories.

The sponsors for the event were asked to present the Gold Award winners with their trophies and certificates on the evening. As the Associate sponsor for The GAPP Awards 2016 Avery Dennison presented the awards in four categories, while the other sponsors presented awards in correlation with their level of sponsorship. The proceedings for the event – as well as off-the-cuff entertainment – were facilitated by the Master of Ceremonies Darren ‘Whackhead’ Simpson.

The awards presentation

Commercial Litho Sheetfed – Single Sheet
No Winning Achiever awards were presented
The Bronze award was presented to Multiprint Litho for ‘Operation Hydrate Posters’
The Silver award was presented to Ren-Form for ‘DSSA Fun Brochure’
The Gold award went to USS Graphics for ‘Role Model – Women’s Day’

Commercial Litho Sheetfed – Annual Reports
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Matcom Printers for ‘Gauteng Province Annual Report’ and Multiprint Litho for ‘Interwaste Integrated Report’
The Bronze award was presented to House of Print for ‘TFG Integrated Annual Report’
The Silver Award was presented to House of Print for ‘Fidelity Annual Report’
The Gold award went to House of Print for ‘Bestmed’

Commercial Litho Sheetfed – Magazines
Winning Achiever Awards were presented to Zero Plus Printers for ‘De Lig 2015’ and DNA Print and Packaging for ‘The Ridge Chronicle’.
The Bronze award was presented to Paarl Media KwaZulu-Natal for ‘Prestige Magazine’.
The Silver award was presented to Business Print for ‘DeKat Magazine’.
The Gold award went to CTP Printers Cape Town for ‘Africa Geographic Yearbook 2015’.

Commercial Litho Sheetfed – Books
Winning Achiever awards went to CTP Printers Cape Town for ‘Food & Home Entertaining – A Year of Seasonal Dishes’ and Shereno Printers for ‘Degrees of Excellence’.
The Bronze award was presented to CTP Printers Cape Town for ‘Empathy’.
The Silver award was presented to Mailtronic Direct Marketing for ‘Home Explorer’.
The Gold award went to Multiprint Litho for ‘Reimagining South Africa’.

Commercial Litho Sheetfed – Brochures
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Business Print for ‘Image 2015’, Oranje Print and Packaging for ‘Boran Journal 2016 God’s gift to Cattlemen’ and UVO Communication for ‘Bloodline Africa’.
The Bronze award was presented to UVO Communication for ‘Piet Warren 2015’.
The Silver award was presented to Templer Industries for ‘Pureflow’.
The Gold award went to Multiprint Litho for ‘The New Renegade 2015’.

Commercial Litho Sheetfed – Stationery
A Winning Achiever award was presented to O.H Frewin Printers for ‘A2 Calendars’.
The Bronze award was presented to Shereno Printers for ‘Portraits of Wildlife’.
The Silver award was presented to Business Print for ‘Prince Albert Karoo South Africa’.
The Gold award went to Formeset Print for ‘Namibia into Infinity – Panorama Edition 2016’.

Heatset Litho Webfed
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Paarl Media Cape for ‘Fresh Living (Pick ‘n Pay) – August 2016 Issue 98’, CTP Printers Cape Town for ‘Gay Pages – Winter 2016’ and Paarl Media KwaZulu-Natal for ‘ML July August 2016’.
The Bronze award was presented to Paarl Media Cape for ‘House and Leisure August 2016’.
The Silver award was presented to Paarl Media KwaZulu-Natal for ‘Fitness July-August 2016’.
The Gold award went to Paarl Media Cape for ‘Go! – August 2016’.

Coldset Litho Webfed
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Caxton Printers for ‘Saturday Citizen 23 July 2016’ and Lowveld Media for ‘Lowvelder Friday February 20, 2015’.
The Bronze award was presented to Caxton Printers for ‘The Star Tuesday July 26, 2016’.
The Silver award was presented to Caxton Printers for ‘The Times Monday July 25 2016’.
The Gold award went to Caxton Printers for ‘Business Day Thursday July 28 2016’.

Packaging - Corrugated/Flute
No Winning Achiever or Bronze awards were presented.
The Silver award was presented to Colourtone Aries for ‘Singleton 12 Year Old and 2 Glasses’
The Gold award went to CTP Cartons and Labels for ‘Foot of Africa Shiraz Viognier’.

Packaging – Flexible
Winning Achiever awards were presented to New Era Labels for ‘250ml Satiskin Bath Oil’, Tetra Pak for ‘Pure Joy’ and Ren-Flex for ‘Blossom Epic Spread’.
The Bronze award was presented to New Era Labels for ‘750ml Auto Punch Concentrated Fabric Softener’.
The Silver award was presented to New Era Labels for ‘400ml Lux Sheer Twilight’.
The Gold Award went to New Era Labels for ‘500g Nola Squeeze Original Mayonnaise’.

Packaging – Paper/Board/Kraft
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Proprint for ‘Renew Champagne’ and Monty Print for ‘Standard Bank Creating a Class of our Own’.
The Bronze award was presented to Colourtone Aries for ‘Amarula’
The Silver Award was presented to DNA Print and Packaging for ‘Inecto Ultra Gloss’.
The Gold award went to Printafoil for ‘Scottish Leader A New Perspective’.

Labels
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Ren-Flex for ‘Fairfield Dairy Yoghurt’, SA Labels for ‘Glistening Green Tea & Pine’ and HP Labelling for ‘Food Lover’s Signature Balsamic Vinegar’.
The Bronze award was presented to Business Print for ‘USN Hyperbolic Mass’.
The Silver award was presented to HP Labelling for ‘Nitida Sauvignon Blanc 2016’.
The Gold award went to HP Labelling for ‘Chivas Regal 18 Gold Signature’.

Labels – In-mould
No Winning Achiever or Bronze awards were presented.
The Silver award was presented to Vitri Designs for ‘Lip Ice’.
The Gold award went to Vitri Designs for ‘Knorr Cup A Soup’.

Flexo Printing – Labels 
No Winning Achiever awards were presented.
The Bronze award was presented to Uniprint Labels Division for ‘Republic Rum Infusion’.
The Silver award was presented to Flexible Packagers Converters for ‘McCain Skinny Fries’.
The Gold award went to Flexible Packagers Converters for ‘McCain Crisp Sweet Potato Fries’.

Flexo Printing – Corrugated
No Winning Achiever awards were presented.
The Bronze Award was presented to Mpact Corrugated for ‘Creative Colours’.
The Silver Award was presented to Golden Era Printers (Flexo Division) for ‘3 Litres Drostdy Hof Claret Select’.
The Gold award went to Golden Era Printers (Flexo Division) for ‘3 Litres Drostdy Hof Natural Sweet Red’.

Flexo Printing – General
A Winning Achiever award was presented to Merpak Envelopes for ‘The Hub Club’.
No Bronze award was presented.
The Silver award was presented to Amcor Flexibles (Durban) for ‘Kellogs Corn Flakes’.
The Gold award went to Golden Era Printers (Flexo Division) for ‘150g Smarties’.

Gravure Printing
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Amcor Flexibles for ‘Woolworths Foods Easy to Cook Potato Bake’ and Amcor Flexibles for ‘Knorr Sauce’.
The Bronze award was presented to Amcor Flexibles for ‘Omo Hand + Comfort’.
The Silver Award was to Amcor Flexibles for ‘Sunlight Tropical’.
The Gold Award went to Amcor Flexibles for ‘Amajoya’.

Signage – Rigid
No Winning Achiever awards were presented.
The Bronze award was presented to 2Spec Print Solutions for ‘Kellogs Boards’.
The Silver award was presented to Clear Design for ‘Pure Hemp’.
The Gold award went Clear Design for ‘Sony Acrylic Artwork’.

Signage – Flexible
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Cloud 9 – Dros Food Restaurant for ‘Vineyard’ and Dpi Concepts for ‘Hugo Boss Backlit Fabric’.
The Bronze award was presented to 2Spec Print Solutions for ‘Discovery Awards Fabric on Frame’.
The Silver award was presented to Bidvest Digital for ‘The Media Shack Fabric Banner’.
The Gold award went to Kaytie Identity Promotions for ‘SASSA Scarf’.

Signage – Poster/Billboards category:
No Winning Achiever awards werere presented.
The Bronze award was presented to Cloud 9 – Dros Food Restaurant for ‘50% Off Burger Special’.
The Silver award was presented to Ad Outpost for ‘Clemen Gold’.
The Gold Award went to Ad Outpost for ‘Obaku Denmark – Feel the Moment’.

Signage – Non-paper Substrates category:
A Winning Achiever award was presented to Harrogate for ‘Samsung S7 Standee’.
The Bronze award was presented to Sharpline Signs and Graphics for ‘My Bikini’.
The Silver Award was presented to Harrogate for ‘Intel-Powered Laptops’.
No Gold Award was awarded in this category.

Signage - Vehicle Wraps
A Winning Achiever award was presented to Sharpline Signs and Graphics for ‘Memba Boat Wrap’.
No other awards were awarded in this category.

Digital Printing – Full-colour
No Winning Achiever awards were presented.
The Bronze award was presented to Multiprint Litho for ‘Dolce and Gabanna backlit cards’.
The Silver award was presented to Salty Print for ‘Let’s Make Excellent Happen’.
The Gold Award went to New Era Labels for ‘750ml Arendsig Sauvignon Blok A9’.

Full-colour Digital Printing – Publications
A Winning Achiever award was presented to 24Hour Photobooks for ‘Moments in Africa’.
The Bronze award was presented to Orms Printroom for ‘Oceans of Life’.
The Silver award was presented to Multiprint Litho for ‘The Landy & I’.
The Gold Award went to Multiprint Litho for ‘It’s Not Blood’.

Full-colour Digital Printing – Stationery
A Winning Achiever award was presented to 24Hour Photobooks for ‘Promotion 24Hour Photobooks’
No other awards were awarded in this category.

Variable Data Printing
No Winning Achiever awards were presented.
The Bronze award was presented to Color in Mail for ‘We Love The Season of Gold’.
The Silver Award was presented to Blue Avenue Partners for ‘Coca-Cola Personalised Packaging’.
The Gold Award went to Bowens for ‘Nex Media Vol 3 Issue 2’

Special Techniques and Finishes
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Pro Touch for ‘Frozen Ice Shattering’, Pivot Press for There are Still Mysteries’ and Pro Touch for ‘Investec Folder’.
The Bronze award was presented to Bowens for ‘Photo Album’.
The Silver award was presented to Colourtone Aries for ‘Don Julio’.
The Gold award went to Murtan for ‘Barclays L’Atelier’.

Screen Printing
There is only a Gold Award presented in this category which went to USS Graphics for ‘Role Model – Women’s Day’.

Folding and Finishing
No Winning Achiever or Bronze awards were presented.
The Silver award was presented to Ren-Form for ‘Vega Quack Quack’.
The Gold Award went to Bowens for ‘Photo Album’.

Cutting Processes
No Winning Achiever awards are presented.
The Bronze award was presented to Bidvest Digital for ‘Rocket Restaurant Menu Holders’.
The Silver award was presented to Vixtrix Signs for ‘Castle Lite’.
The Gold award went to A Signup Corporation ‘for Cell-C Fabricated’.

Self-promotion
Winning Achiever Awards were presented to Murtan for ‘Multi-colour Foiling’ and Monty Print for ‘Spirit of Africa 2016’.
The Bronze award was presented to SA Reserve Bank for ‘SA Reserve Bank 2016 Desk Planner and Tent Calendars’.
The Silver award was presented to Shumani Mills Communications for ‘Advance Beyond Print’.
The Gold award went to 24Hour Photobooks for ‘Promotion 24Hour Photobooks’.

Innovation
Winning Achiever awards were presented to Printafoil for ‘Scottish Leader A New Perspective’, Bowens for ‘Glenmark Synalar Human Anatomy’ and Uniprint Forms Divisions for ‘Ebola Clinical Specimen Laboratory Forms’.
The Bronze Award was presented to Gordons Productions for ‘Deeper Paper Plates’.
The Silver award was presented to Monty Print for ‘Standard Bank Creating a Class of Our Own’.
The Gold award went to Blue Avenue Partners for ‘Paper Wallets’.

Environmentally Sound
There was only a Gold award presented in this category which went to Multiprint Litho for ‘Come Play – The Story of 012 Central’.

Graphic Design on Print
A Winning Achiever award was presented to Lowveld Media Graphic Department for the design by Delene van Straten for ‘Autodealer – Automotive Supplement inserted into Lowvelder Tuesday and Mpumalanga News 23 February 2016’.
No Bronze or Silver awards were presented in this category.
The Gold award went to Mullen Louw Johannesburg for ‘It’s Not Blood’.