Clevedon, UK – Following on from a record high standard of entries, it was too hard for judges to select just one winner of the ‘Roland DG Young Signmaker of the Year’ award 2016 and as such two entrants were named joint-winners of the accolade at the annual BSGA Sign Awards held yesterday. Our congratulations go out to winners; Damian Jacobs of Allen Signs and Kirsty Donald of Owen Pilling Graphics.

The ‘Roland DG Young Signmaker of the Year’ award rewards the rising stars of the industry who have made outstanding progress in their careers to date. Both Damian and Kirsty’s entries demonstrated brilliant skill-based achievements within their employer’s businesses. 

The judges commented that Damian who is just 24 and joined Allen Signs as an apprentice six years ago, progressed to the role of Production Manager having completed both Level 2 and 3 of his apprenticeship. Throughout his time with the company he has taken on responsibility for scheduling and the management of difficult production and installation jobs, including one giant roll-out project to 150 sites.

Kirsty was praised by the judges for being the first candidate to achieve a formal Modern Apprenticeship in Sign Making. At just 22, her work at Owen Pilling Graphics demonstrated a willingness to learn new things which has helped her develop into a confident, multi-skilled employee. Her employers commented that she not only makes an effective contribution to the bottom line but also has a measurable influence in shaping the culture Owen Pilling Graphics is keen to cultivate.

After a tense shortlisting process, the winners were presented with their ‘Roland DG Young Signmaker of the Year’ awards on stage by Roland DG’s Head of RolandCare, Mark Jones, at the BSGA Awards Presentation. About his win; Damian commented: “The Young Signmaker of the Year award means everything to me; it has been a long 6-year journey starting as out an apprentice and working my way up to my current role as Production Manager. It’s great to know my employers recognise my commitment and how much into the company to help them along the way.” 

Kirsty commented: “The Young Signmaker Award of the Year means a lot to me and I feel very privileged to have received it.  Since working at OPG [Owen Pilling Graphics] Ltd over the past 5 years I have had so many opportunities and its lovely to know that my work and contribution to the company are recognised.”

As the UK market’s leading manufacturer of wide format digital printers, Roland DG is delighted to continue to sponsor the ‘Young Signmaker of the Year’ award, and is committed to supporting young and emerging talent from the sign industry. To further support Damian and Kirsty, Roland DG has awarded them with a complimentary seat on a Roland DG Academy course of their choice at the Roland DG HQ in Clevedon, Somerset. 

Speaking after the event, Mark Jones, Head of RolandCare, said: “As with every year, we’ve had a fantastic experience. Participating in the BSGA awards not only cements our position as investors in the future of the sign industry, but also gives us a chance to reward the next generation of sign makers. On behalf of everyone at Roland DG, I would like to congratulate Damian and Kirsty on winning the award for ‘Roland DG Young Signmaker of the Year’ and we look forward to welcoming them onto a Roland DG Academy course soon.”

Roland DG’s latest generation of Print & Cut technology, the TrueVIS VG-640, was also on display prior to the ceremony; with many interested parties taking the chance to discuss the future of print and cut with the experts, and see the impressive output quality that TrueVis technology can produce.