LIA prize-winners off to drupa 2020

By Wayne Robinson | 8 November 2019

Print & Visual Communication Association (PVCA) and Visual Connections confirm that the LIA Biennial Award Recipients from 2017 and 2019 have received their prize money, and will shortly be making travel plans for the trip of a lifetime from Adelaide to Düsseldorf for drupa 2020.

Transformation: drupa 2020, set for next June, will show how the printing industry is transforming itself to meet the demands and opportunities of the new era. — *Trip of a lifetime: Two young Australian printers will be among the crowds at drupa 2020, thanks to winning the LIA Graduate of the Year programme, and being sponsored by PVCA and Visual Connections.*

The trip is funded by the prize money the two received as part of their recognition in the national biennial LIA/Heidelberg Graduate Awards Program. The 2017 winner, Jason Turai, has his prize sponsored by the Print & Visual Communication Association, and Jonathan Pitt, the 2019 recipient of the prize, is sponsored by Visual Connections.

“Donations and funding of prizes such as this are immensely gratifying, because we see in the recipients a vision of the future of our industry,” said Andrew Macaulay, CEO of the PVCA, continuing: “The PVCA works in many areas towards this consistent vision of building and maintaining a stable pipeline of young talent into our diverse and evolving industry. Support of the LIA Graduate program is only one of many areas that the PVCA contributes and expands its vision of a thriving print, packaging and visual communications sector.”

The PVCA says that as the peak body representing print, and then packaging, and now the broader visual communication sector, it is consistently growing and evolving alongside its members and the industry it supports and leads.
“PVCA and our members are thrilled to contribute towards the further development of a talented young member of our industry, and we are looking forward to Jason’s report back on his exploration of the innovations and new technologies our industry has to offer,” Macaulay added, noting that the two young men travelling and learning together is an apt reflection of the collaborative relationship between PVCA and Visual Connections across many projects including the PrintEx and PacPrint trade shows.

Turai said, “I have met many brilliant people in the industry. The trip to drupa has been a dream and goal of mine, and will be a big step forward in my professional development. I thank the PVCA for providing me with this opportunity, and of course the LIA for providing the pathway that has led me here. Without the support of organisations such as these, I wouldn’t have this chance at all.”

Turai's travel partner, Jonathan Pitt, is the 2019 recipient; he is sponsored by supplier association Visual Connections. Pitt said, "I would like to thank the LIA and Visual Connections for this wonderful experience, meeting young enthusiastic people in the printing industry, and for the new experiences I will gain in my travels overseas."

Mel Ireland, president of the LIA, said it was exciting to hear the two were finalising their plans, knowing that their trip to drupa will be a career-defining experience that they will not only benefit from, but will remember forever.

“It is always fantastic to see capable young people who are dedicated to the achievement of excellence choose to join the print and graphic communications sector. We are delighted to be able to recognise their skill and achievements through these Awards, and to see them develop into our industry’s future leaders,” she said.