2025 Printweek Awards winners revealed at Festival of Print

07 March 2025

Events

Printweek's Company of the Year: Curtis Packaging

The 2025 Printweek Awards delivered on its Festival of Print theme and then some, with well over 550 guests celebrating the best the UK print industry has to offer.

Comedian Suzi Ruffell expertly kept the celebratory energy levels high in London’s iconic Brewery last night, where 20 Printweek Prisms were awarded to a lineup featuring the industry’s brightest stars.

The festival’s undisputed headliner was Curtis Packaging who mobbed the stage to collect their Company of the Year trophy, the first time the Merstham, Surrey-based business had won the industry’s flagship award.

Speaking last night, production director George James said: “Unbelievable, to us this is everything. We’ve been around for a while and we’ve won at most awards [schemes], but the one we coveted was this one – from our point this is the one we always wanted.”

Rob Finnigan, new business development director, added: “It’s for the team, we can’t do what we do for our customers without the team behind us. This award is truly a team effort from 90 different people who all have a critical role in our success and make the difference for our customers. They’re unbelievable, we’re so proud of them.”

“It’s been a tough, but we’ve come through it as a team and we made some changes at the business and came together as a team, we feel we can achieve anything now,” added James.

The Curtis team were live streaming the award on Facetime to the various people at the business, even from the stage when they collected their trophy – with director James Williams, who’s away on holiday, joining the celebrations virtually.

“He was over the moon. James sets the leadership and direction of travel for our business. He had three words for us about this [award] ‘about bloody time’,” joked Steve Parkhouse, key account director.

The equally highly coveted SME of the Year was won for the second year running by Leeds-based Resource. The company was also Highly Commended for Customer Service Team of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year.

HR business and operations director Gail Weathers told Printweek: “I’m a little bit in shock! Honestly, in the world that we’re living in, to still be able to achieve the wondrous things that we do just makes me super proud, and quite ecstatic.

“For me, it’s the people that make our business, so to invest in them and to then come through and be innovative and creative, and smash some of the abnormal situations that we’re in in the face, just makes me so super proud.”

Ian McCloskey, sales director of Sheffield-based Northend, which celebrated 135 years in business last year, was similarly proud. The firm was a finalist in three hotly-contested categories, gaining high commendations in SME of the Year and Book Printer of the Year, and taking to the stage as winners of Bespoke Publications Printer of the Year.

McCloskey said: “I’m absolutely chuffed and thrilled that Northend has been nominated for three awards and has won the Bespoke Publications Printer of the Year category.

“It makes me really proud, it really does, for the whole team. The award is dedicated to the Northend team.”

Horsham-based Impress Print Services built upon its impressive track record of wins at past Awards, carrying off two trophies: Environmental Company of the Year – SME, and Customer Service Team of the Year – SME, keeping hold of the coveted Prism trophy for the latter for the third year running in an admirable feat of sustained excellence amid stiff competition.

Managing director Mike Kille and his team – dressed with matching on-brand orange bow ties and accessories, were delighted at the outcome.

Kille said: “What a fantastic team we’ve got. I’m absolutely chuffed to bits. We’ve won Customer Service three times in a row, it means everything to me.”

Fourth-generation family firm Gomer Press triumphed in the Book Printer of the Year category, much to the delight of the team at the Llandysul, Ceridigon company.

Commercial manager Martin Koffer said: “It’s fantastic news for us and something we’ve worked very hard on. We’re really, really pleased.

“We thought we had a strong set of entries this year, and it was really nice to get the recognition as a relatively small outfit.”

As is always tradition, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the Trainee of the Year award, with Louisa Stokes, Augustus Martin client service administrator securing the crown this year.

“It honestly feels so surreal. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m so happy – I’m super proud of myself, I worked really hard for this,” she said.

However, the proudest person in the room was Louisa's dad, Glynn Stokes, retail development director at Augustus Martin a 40-year industry veteran whose daughters Louisa and Ruby both work at the firm.

“He heard my name being called out, and he’d been super nervous all day. He’s so proud as a dad – he was just standing in front of the stage crying. Print is literally my dad’s life, so he’s very proud to have his daughters in the industry.” Louisa added.