While I got a crash course on printing and packaging from some of the jury members, one thing stood out: The print work is creative and inspiring.  The strong 23-member jury,  experienced print and packaging buyers, were split into three groups.

Soma Roy, lead, packaging development, Bajaj Electricals, said, “As Jury, we get to witness a temple to innovation and technology under one roof. We think we know what to expect, but are proven wrong in the best way possible.”

As Rajnish Shirsat, co-founder & CEO, R&S Enterprises told me, “I have been a part of this print celebration for more than seven years. The quality of work has shot up drastically with a lot of small players from small cities in India making a huge impact. This is a great sign for the Indian book industry.”

Like me, Shirsat was dazzled by how companies who were part of the Awards are adapting to short-runs, coping with customer expectations in terms of speed and service and the innovations. 

Mukund Moghe, senior manager brand & production, Tata Services, said, “The trends that I detected are: dominance of digital print technology, sustainability, short-run printing and a lot of hybrid technologies at work.”

Ritesh Uttamchandani, an independent photographer, said, "This is my first time at the PrintWeek Awards Jury. And my biggest takeaway was that we as consumers of print know so little about the products we consume or are enticed by. Our lack of knowledge hinders our valuation of a product. I am in awe of the things the print and packaging industry does and the role a B2B magazine like PrintWeek is playing in acknowledging it.”

The print, packaging, and converting industries are experiencing a renewed sense of optimism, but there is still much work to be done in the areas of sustainability, technologies and infrastructure.

As John Coltrane (the genius saxophonist) said in an interview: I start in the middle of a sentence and move in both directions at once.

That's something the award entries are doing.

Kudos to all the 273 entries.

The winners will be declared on the Awards Night. The thirteenth PrintWeek Awards ceremony will be held at The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake on 30 October (Monday) 2023.

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Tickets are available now. For more enquiries about the PrintWeek Awards Night, please contact Sudhanva Jategaonkar on sudhanva.jategaonkar@haymarketsac.com