At its annual awards ceremony held at Konica Minolta’s London headquarters last Wednesday (13 July), the awards body explained that it was so impressed with the standard of applicants that it decided to share the award among nine young people, with each receiving £1,500 to help pay tuition fees or other costs associated with print-related training or degree courses.

"I'm so passionate about training as it overcomes geography and background to create a level playing field where everything is possible for everyone," said BPIF president Kathy Woodward "This crop of youngsters has so much passion, which is great for the industry."

The awards are sponsored by the BPIF, Unite and The Printing Charity and this is the eighth year they have run.

Winners this time around were: Francesca Tortora, a Project Manager for the BBC Performing Arts Fund; Charlie Browning, a student at the London College of Communication; Mandy Horton, a junior designer and marketing executive with a Brighton agency; Rebecca Foulkes,  working at her family’s print firm, Colourfast; Melanie Rogan, a student at the London Metropolitan University; Alexandra Lunn, a student at the Glasgow School of Art; Nazeefa Ahmed: Nazeefa, a student  at the University of Leeds; Marie Cleaver, a student at Portsmouth University; and Jasmine Paradine-James, a student at the London College of Communication.

To find out more about the Print Futures Awards, see www.printfuturesawards.com