(August 06, 2008) - As a result of the keen interest shown in the new Heidelberg Eco Printing Award at drupa, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has decided to extend the closing date for entries by a month to the end of August 2008. This means that any printshop around the world that is equipped with at least one sheetfed offset press now has until August 31, 2008 to submit an entry for this illustrious award. The prize will be awarded to the most sustainable printshop and innovative stand-alone solutions for environmental protection in prepress, press, and postpress. For more information on the entry conditions, go to www.heidelberg.com.

Prestigious panel of judges to select the winners

Heidelberg has now announced the members of the independent judging panel. The company itself is not represented. The following members have agreed to help select the winners – the European printing association INTERGRAF, Panda Fördergesellschaft für Umwelt mbH as the marketing company of Umweltstiftung WWF Deutschland, Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg GmbH (IFEU), and the Editor-in-Chief of the Crosslands Bulletin on Business, Law, and the Environment, U.S. A further member of the panel will be named soon. In future, the printing associations in the various countries will appoint different members to the panel, with the aim of reinforcing the competition's international focus.

Prize fund of EUR 50,000

The winners of the Heidelberg Eco Printing Award will receive a sculpture made of olive wood and steel, and prize money totaling EUR 50,000. Special materials have been selected for the HEI ECO sculpture as a symbol of ecological printing. The olive wood stands for nature. It was selected for its ethnicity and vibrancy, machined, and then polished by hand. Despite its strict geometrical shape, it still retains much of its natural, organic grace. The steel plate stands for technology, being the material that is used to build the presses. Investing in environmentally friendly technology can help reduce the impact on the environment while raising the productivity of printshops.