The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) has announced that it is to launch the Excellence Awards in 2011, encompassing a range of 14 best performance in Industry Awards. It will be celebrated at a black-tie event at the Café de Paris in London. The Café de Paris is referred to by Forbidden London as “The Coolest Club in London”, the perfect venue to launch the awards.

Revamped and now presented solely by the BPIF, all the categories will be aligned with the BPIF’s numerous products and services. The Excellence Awards will reward and showcase the most innovative and creative companies across the print media spectrum. The awards categories will range from Human Resources, to the Environment, Health and Safety, Lean Manufacturing and Innovation. There will also be awards for both Training and Development and Apprentice of the Year.

The Excellence Awards will take place on 15 June 2011, and will be open to both BPIF members and non-members except for the Company of the Year Award, which will be open to BPIF members exclusively.

Commenting on the announcement, BPIF Chief Executive Michael Johnson said, “Excellence in business – as opposed to excellent printing – becomes crucial for businesses looking to stand out from the crowd and build a winning brand. Our awards stand out too, as the premier business event of the year. So I would urge you to enter your business for an award and to be there on the night.”

The call for entries for the Excellence Awards has commenced, with judging set for April 2011 and the shortlist to be announced in May 2011. The closing date for entries will be 31 March 2011. The judging panel will comprise of both internal and external judges.

The full list of categories for the BPIF Excellence Awards 2011 is:
- HR Award – over £5m annual turnover
- HR Award - up to £5m annual turnover   
- Health and Safety Award - over £5m annual turnover
- Health and Safety Award - up to £5m annual turnover   
- Environment  Award - over £5m annual turnover
- Environment  Award - up to £5m annual turnover   
- Innovation
- Marketing   
- Lean Manufacturing Award
- Training and Development Award
- Apprentice of the Year Award
- Company of the Year Award – over £5m annual turnover
- Company of the Year Award – up to £5m annual turnover   
- Customer Service