All submissions to the Fespa Awards 2023 will be judged against the new sustainability criteria, which will consider elements including reductions in materials, energy and labour, as well as recyclability and life-cycle analysis.

“As the demand for sustainable production and strong environmental credentials is rising in the industries we represent, printers and signmakers are having to rethink their production practices,” said Graeme Richardson-Locke, Fespa head of associations and technical lead.

“Sustainability has been at the top of the agenda for Fespa for quite some time now and, by introducing the Sustainability Award, we want to highlight the incredible talent of companies who are driving change in this area.”

As well as the 17 application-based categories, which range from Decals & Printed Labels and Display & POP to Printed Garments and Wrapping, there are four awards that are selected from all the entries, like the new Judges Award for Sustainability.

The other three are the Judges Award for Innovation, Best in Show Award and People's Choice Award.

The latter category features all entries from all categories being showcased online to enable the entire Fespa community to vote for their favourite.

The Fespa Awards are open to companies from anywhere in the world, both members and non-members and costs €100 (£85) and €150 respectively per entry.

In addition, there’s the free to enter Young Star Award, which is open to 16–25-year-olds working as a vocational trainee or student in the world of wide-format. The winner’s prize is €1,000.

The deadline for submissions is 25 January 2023. The shortlist will be announced on 13 March and the winners will be unveiled at Fespa Global Print Expo, which takes place on 23-26 May 2023 at Messe Munich, Germany.

For more information, visit fespaawards.com