Contest Rules/List of Categories
PDF of Category List
Tips | Awards
Why You Should Enter
The Winners Have Been Chosen
Inspecting more than 480 printed pieces over the course of a single day is an exhausting experience. Nevertheless, the judges of the In-Print 2013 contest managed to do just that on March 11, when they gathered at IPMA headquarters in Kearney, Mo., just outside of Kansas City. As a result of their efforts, 34 different in-plants have won awards in the only national printing contest exclusively for in-plants.
Jointly sponsored by both IPG and the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association, In-Print 2013 drew 11 percent more entries this year compared to 2012. The five judges, hailing from five different states, were:
For the first time in the contest’s history, entries in the non-offset categories surpassed those in the offset group. More than 60 percent of entries were printed on non-offset devices, a major turning point for the contest.
Some of the top winners this year were:
• The University of North Texas: nine awards (four Gold);
• The University of Oklahoma: seven awards (five Gold);
• Washington State University: six awards (three Gold);
• The University of Oregon: five awards.
Excellus Blue Cross & Blue Shield and Rochester Institute of Technology both took home four awards, while the University of Minnesota, Central Michigan University and the University of Delaware all won three.
A Contest Just for In-plants
The contest, sponsored by In-Plant Graphics and the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA), is open to all U.S. in-plants. To see the full list of winners, click on the links below:
Click below to watch videos showing the judges selecting the Best of Show winners:
Over the years, the judges have provided a number of helpful tips on what makes a winning entry. One thing the judges love to scrutinize is the folds on entries to make sure both halves of the sheet line up perfectly. They often eliminate entries that are cracked along the folds because they were either folded against the grain or folded without first being scored. This is the most common reason pieces are eliminated. Also, many entries were eliminated in the past because poor quality copies were submitted, when better copies almost certainly existed.
Here are some other reasons that entries were thrown out. Did you have any of these problems with your entries?
On the entries in our non-offset categories, here are some of the problems judges encountered:
One more tip: Pieces that include a number of different parts (e.g. a direct mail package filled with loose pages, or stationery submitted with a business card and envelope) have not fared well in the past. You increase the chance that the judges will find an error. It's best to enter the single piece of which you are most proud.
For example: One in-plant entered a direct mail package filled with loose pages, some of which had enough blemishes to disqualify the whole entry. But if the pocket folder had been submitted by itself, the judges agreed, it would certainly have won in the folder category. So pick your categories wisely. And simplify.
Often, many in-plants enter the contest right at the deadline. As a result, they don't properly inspect their entries and submit the best copies. This has cost several in-plants prizes, since if they had only sent a copy with better folds and crossovers, they would have won. Instead they were eliminated. Many items have been tossed out for infractions as small as a missing dot in the middle of a solid, or cracking on a fold that hadn't been scored.
You should examine all four copies of your entries in detail--don't just grab any four from the top of the shelf. Look at the folds and registration. Are they perfect? Are there any visible hickeys? Look carefully, because if you don't take the time to scrutinize your entries, be assured, our judges will.
The best advice is to get your press operators involved. Show them the entry form when it first appears each November. Get them interested in saving flawless samples--and put them aside far in advance of the deadline.
Also, and this is extremely important, when filling out the entry form, please check off the correct category. A brochure is not a folder. Don't put offset pieces in the digital category, or mistakenly enter a category for small shops if yours is a large shop. When judging day comes and the judges see your piece in the wrong category, it may be disqualified--especially if they have already judged the correct category.
Awards
In-Print winners will receive elegant plaques, which will be presented at the next IPMA conference. From all of the Gold Award winners, the judges will pick one Best of Show winner from the offset categories and one Best of Show from the non-offset categories. Those in-plants will receive trophies during the IPMA Awards Banquet.
Here's a list of Best of Show winners through the years:
