“Considering the current situation and the future of printing, this regional edition of the event will be held online and we will be hosting it for the south zone comprising of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Puducherry and Lakshadweep,” said Dr TKS Lakshmi Priya, head, department of printing, Avinashilingam University.

Prize money of Rs 25000 will be awarded to the zonal winner who will have to go through three rounds of selection before being chosen. This will include a written round to identify the top five, a Q&A with a regional panel for the top five and final round to the national panel where they will speak on a topic of their choice.

“The national finale will be a physical event and will be held at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) in due course,” said Priya.

“Our event will be inaugurated by Dr Premavathy Vijayan, vice-chancellor of Avinashilingam Institute for Women (AIW) and Dr S Kausalya, registrar of AIW will be guest of honour,” she added.

Organised by the All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) in association with Offset Printers Association (OPA), the event is touted to be the biggest talent hunt in the printing industry.