The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) is proud to announce the winners of its 2020 Poster and T-Shirt Design competitions. This year there were over 70 entries for the poster group and over 50 for the T-Shirt contest. The winner of the Poster Contest for Full-Time students is Abigail Carter who attends Mattoon High School in Illinois. The winner for the part-time student poster is Allyson Randa, a student currently attending Waubonsee Community College in Illinois. Our T-Shirt winner is also Abigail Carter whose design was selected overwhelmingly by our judging panel. The second-place winner for the T-Shirt competition is Mandana Yaghini of Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo California . Due to the high number of entries this year in our poster contest, we have decided to also have a 2nd place winner in the Poster contest and that person is Tamari Kevlishvili, a student at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College located in Green Bay Wisconsin. These posters and the T-Shirts will be used to promote the availability of scholarships for students pursuing a career in graphic communication industry. The first-place winning entries are below:

The Poster design competition was entered by many classes and individual students that used the competition entry as a real working assignment. Abigail’s Graphic Arts Teacher at Mattoon High School, Laura Roberts, gives all her students opportunities to compete in real-world competitions. “It is important that we educate students on various vocational trades that are in high demand. Many high schools no longer offer vocational classes. I am happy to educate and inspire Graphic communications to our high school students giving them a viable career path in higher education. 2020 has definitely demonstrated the flexibility and possibilities creating endless opportunities for students in this ever-changing field.”

The winning entrants for the poster received a $500 check and second place received a $250 check, each will also receive an award certificate, and national recognition by news release. The posters will be produced at this year’s Printing United Show in Atlanta by Ricoh and the files will also be made available for others to print and distribute. “At Ricoh, we have always made our mission clear: to create and grow alliances within our industry to help us all move forward successfully,” said Heather Poulin, Vice President, Marketing, Commercial and Industrial Printing Group, Ricoh USA, Inc. “That growth, along with new innovation and ideas come from talented, innovative students, up and coming into the workforce. By supporting the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation, our goal is to reward these students’ hard work and encourage them to consider careers in our industry by demonstrating the value, passion, and impact of print.”

The T-Shirt winner receives a free trip to the Printing United Show where their design will be produced by Ryonet on the show floor. Thanks to Ryonet®|Allmade®, ROQ, and Sanmar, the first-place winner will also receive a Semi-Pro 4 Color Screen Printing Kit by Ryonet(valued at $2000). The second place winner receives a DIY PRINT SHOP Original T-Shirt Screen Printing Kit (value $250).

Currently, more than two hundred college students attending some 90 schools are receiving financial assistance through PGSF. However, many more deserving scholarship applicants are turned down due to lack of funds. For copies of the poster, information regarding tax-advantaged contributions, establishing a scholarship through PGSF, or scholarship applications, contact Bernie Eckert, PGSF managing director at 412-259-1740 or [email protected] You can also visit the website for more details about the Foundation at www.pgsf.org.