“It’s an amazing response to our first awards and fully justifies our decision to launch an awards scheme for the industry” said David Catanach, BSGA Director. “Our aim was to provide awards which had real meaning within the industry and, judging by the response, we have already achieved this.
“What is really gratifying is that the category which attracted most entries is the ‘Small Signmaker of the Year’ with around 40, clearly demonstrating that the awards have appeal across the whole industry.
“Competition is fierce in every category and a quick review of the entries reveals some remarkable achievements. The judges , who will meet shortly, are going to have their work cut out,” he said.
All entries will be judged blind. “We have taken the time and trouble to carefully remove the identities of the entrants from their submissions to ensure a level playing field for all. All the judges will see is the project details and the images; they won’t know who the entrants are until their decision is made,” explained David.
Three projects will be shortlisted in each category before the winner is selected. Winners will go forward to the final judging for the most coveted prize of all – the 2014 Sign of the Year.
In addition to the signmaker awards, the BSGA is presenting an award for the Product of the Year. “We’ve had nominations for around 20 products, again demonstrating the creativity and ingenuity which exists in our industry,” said David.
A panel of signmakers representing all sectors of the industry, will independently ‘mark’ each product out of ten in a number of areas and the winner will be the one that achieves the highest overall score.
All the winners will be revealed at the BSGA’s Gala Presentation Lunch which will be held in the Holte Suite at Villa Park, Birmingham on Thursday, October 30th.
“We plan to make this one of the sign industry events of the year,” said David. “Everyone who attends will be entertained by our host, Bob ‘The Cat’ Bevan, and the Josh Schofield Quarter and, we hope, enthralled by the award presentation.
“We already have over 300 people coming, but tickets are still available. We’ve made the event as accessible and inexpensive as possible to give anyone who is interested a chance to attend, enjoy the entertainment and take advantage of a great industry networking opportunity.”
Full details can be found at www.britishsignawards.org.
European Sign Federation