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Tips from the top - NPA chairman of judges reveals all!

Luke Wooldridge
 

Newly consolidated categories and the shiftback to direct entry in the National Print Awards this year has drivensomething of a revolution in the judging process and, with entries to thecompetition closing in just three weeks, we asked 32nd NPA Chairmanof Judges, Luke Wooldridge, to tell us how to put your best foot forward in thequest for print excellence.

With the direct entry model being reintroducedto the National Print Awards this year, Wooldridge estimates the judging panelwill need to deal with about three times the number of entries they’ve seen inprevious years.

“We’ve put together a group of experiencedpeople with wide-ranging expertise across all aspects of the industry, andwe’ll be dividing them into two groups, each with a specialist focus, to dealwith the various categories,” he explains, adding that the two panels willoperate side by side, with members from each available to the other ifadditional expertise is required.

“As most people know, the judging is done‘blind’ – that is, with no details about the entry available to the judges –but occasionally a job is recognised by a judge, who will then excuse him orherself from evaluating that category. If that happens, or if extra expertiseis required in a particular instance, each panel can call on the other forassistance. I’ll also be floating between the two panels to be an extra set ofeyes, or provide additional, non-identifying information on entries ifrequired.”

Anyone who has been involved in judging Stateor National Print Awards over the past 30 years will tell you that there areoften entries which miss out on selection for a medal due to easily-avoidederrors – but this year, Wooldridge says, the aim is to ensure no worthy jobmisses out on medalling due to an oversight.

“The first tip is not to leave your selectionof entries until the last minute,” he advises. “Take time now to have a lookthrough the jobs you’ve produced during the eligibility period, which commencedon 1 September 2013 and runs right through till entries close – and carefullyselect a couple of samples of each worthy job to enter in the National PrintAwards.

 “If atall possible, send two copies, as we will always check a second sample if wefind a problem with the first that appears not to be the fault of the printeror print finisher, and take care with the way you present and package the job,as this can affect the condition and, hence, the competitiveness of yoursample.

“Always double check your entries beforesubmitting them, as the tiniest flaw in printing or finishing in just one ofthe samples can be enough to disqualify an otherwise perfect job,” he says.“Get out your eye glass and use it – you can be sure the judgeswill!”

Once samples have been selected, Wooldridgesays the entry form should be carefully and accurately completed, with as muchdetail as possible on the production, any difficulties or challenges, detailsof all parties involved and notes of any embellishment, special effects orother enhancements required by the customer.

Each entry will be assessed by at least twojudges, who will check every printed surface in the job looking for perfectregistration, a complete absence of hickeys or other faults, fault-freetrapping and reverse areas, perfect page line-up and continuity, consistency ofcolour, absence of set-off, scuffing, scratches or other marks. In digitalwork, jobs will be checked for banding, gloss differentiation, guide marking,adhesion wicking and bleed, while solvent-based systems will be scrutinised forfilling in, tailing, dot skipping and especially mottle.

“Surprisingly, it’s often the most basicthings that disqualify entries – for example, mis-registration is the mostcommon fault in all categories and poor finishing often eliminates an otherwiseperfect print job - yet it’s so easy to avoid these problems or pick them up ina sample.”

This year’s judges have also been advised thatthey may consider other aspects such as the quality of image preparation, bleedand plate fit, the accuracy and quality of the finishing, the cleanliness andprecision of embellishment and the degree of difficulty and skill require toproduce the job.

“At the end of the day, all of these elementstogether are the real evidence of good print management, skill and qualitysystems,” Wooldridge says. “Consistently producing excellent print work takesmuch more than good luck – and so does winning a Gold at the National PrintAwards!”

Entries to this year’s National Print Awardsclose on 12 December and winners will be announced at the National Print AwardsPresentation Dinner in Sydney on Friday 15 May, 2015. Details on how to entercan be found at www.nationalprintawards.com.au or onone of the entry forms which are currently circulating in the industry. 

 
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