10 February 2006
The deadline for entries into the PPLA Colour Printer Awards 2006,
designed to reward the unsung heroes of the UK professional image
processing industry, is the 28th February 2006. The prestigious awards
scheme, entering into its 12th year, supports the work of both printers
and professional labs and is a unique initiative.
For 2006, Fujifilm is offering the overall PPLA award winner a unique
and unprecedented prize including a comprehensive, month long marketing
package worth £3,000 for the winning professional lab and a prize of
£1,000* for the overall Colour printer of the year.
The overall winner will be selected from all entrants and will be able
to market itself as an official Fujifilm award winner. The winning lab
will also have the opportunity to become Fujifilm Photofinishing's
official printer for an entire year.
The Fujifilm/PPLA Colour Printer Awards recognise the ever-changing
methods used by printers and professional labs alike and a number of
changes have been introduced for 2006 to reflect the work carried out by
today's professional labs. The 'Buildings and Landscapes' category is
new for 2006 and will celebrate work previously spread across the
'Buildings and Industry' and 'Land, Sea and Air' categories.
The 'People and Occasions' category remains unchanged from previous
years and will continue to reward work chosen for its excellence in
colour tone across fashion photography, portraiture and images from
social occasions.
The individual 'Digital Retouching' category has been in place for three
years and has been removed for 2006 to reflect the movement of digital
processing techniques from specialist to mainstream service offerings.
At the same time, Fujifilm recognises that hand printing remains a
popular choice for many professionals and encourages high quality
entries derived from both modern and traditional printing techniques
into the 2006 awards.
Award entries will not be accepted after 28th February 2006. Entries
should be finished 12 x18 prints and for the first time will be accepted
on any paper surface from the Fujicolor Crystal Archive range. Judging
will take place in March 2006 before the awards ceremony in April 2006.
Information and entry forms have already been distributed to printers
and professional labs and further copies are available online at
www.fujifilm.co.uk/prolabs.
Darren Peake, marketing manager for photofinishing at Fujifilm,
comments: "The Fujifilm/PPLA Colour Printer Awards 2006 have evolved to
reflect the changing nature of the industry. They recognise those who
use their expertise to deliver excellence and we've spent a significant
amount of time speaking with key people from the industry to ensure they
reflect the excellent work carried out in the UK. Achieving optimum
quality prints is crucial to delivering a high quality product and
developing relationships between photographers, printers and
professional labs.
"We look forward to seeing the remaining entries for the 2006
competition as the awards scheme continues to go from strength to
strength."
Andrew Frith, chairman of the PPLA, adds: "The PPLA recognises that it
is crucial for professional labs to take part in the Fujifilm/PPLA
Colour Printer awards 2006 in order to recognise the fantastic work
carried out in the UK.
"The changes that Fujifilm has made for 2006 have taken the awards to a
new level and made it very attractive for professional labs to take
part."