PEAK Awards FAQ

How to Enter the PEAK Awards Competition

A Print Excellence And Knowledge (PEAK) Award is a valuable marketing tool that raises your company's profile and shows clients and prospects that your work is independently ranked among the best in the industry. PEAK awards recognize companies that meet customers' printing needs through creativity in design, manufacturing, fulfillment, and other services that solve problems or improve business. The entry form has complete directions, but here are answers to frequently asked questions about PEAK.

What if my entry fits no category?
Who judges the competition?
Our presses and paper handling equipment are unique in the printing industry.
May we enter them in the PEAK Awards?
Can we enter the same thing in two categories?
Explain the Solution Summary. Can we enter without one?
How many samples of my entry should I send?
I'm a distributor and I don't want to identify my manufacturer. Do I have to disclose who manufactured my entry?
Who wins the award—the manufacturer or the distributor?
Where can I download a logo and press release to use to announce that I've won a PEAK award?

What if my entry fits no category?

Choose the category you think is most appropriate. If an entry seems mismatched to one category, judges will move it to another. Or, judges may create a new category at their discretion.

Who judges the competition?

Printing industry veterans. This years' judging panel includes:

John Leininger, professor in the Department of Graphic Communications at Clemson University
Joe Schwan, who held top executive positions at Wallace Computer Services and Standard Register until his retirement in 2001
Art Stowe is co-president of the Printing & Graphics Association, Mid-Atlantic (PGAMA), a regional affiliate of the Printing Industries of America serving Maryland, the greater Washington D.C. area, and southern Pennsylvania.

If you're interested in judging, contact Brad Holt, PSDA publications vice president, at (800) 336-4641 or email him at bholt@printsolutionsmag.com.

Our presses and paper handling equipment are unique in the printing industry.
May we enter them in the PEAK Awards?

PEAK Awards are not for equipment. But the printed pieces from your equipment may very well be PEAK Award material. The actual printed product is what you should enter. If people in your office are chatting about something unusual or interesting that was produced with your equipment, find out what it was—it might be a winner.

Can we enter the same thing in two categories?

Yes, you may enter the same product in two or more categories, but you must pay an entry fee for each. Don't wait too long.

Explain the Solution Summary. Can we enter without one?

The Solution Summary is a brief description (no more than one typed page) of the most important aspects of your solution and what it accomplished. It gives judges an idea of the value added to the printed piece—value that might not be obvious without some explanation. You may submit entries without Solution Summaries, but you'll be disadvantaged compared to entries that include the summary. Your Solution Summary should explain the client's business objectives and the improvements you achieved. For example, did your design involve combining documents or reducing mailing weight to eliminate costs? Did your work increase sales volume or the number of prospects for your client? Quantify hard or soft dollar savings whenever possible.

How many samples of my entry should I send?

Send two samples of each entry—one for the judges to examine and one for the magazine/web staff to use for reproduction in the magazine or on the web site. Do not send pictures of samples. Your entry must be the actual product.

I'm a distributor and I don't want to identify my manufacturer. Do I have to disclose who manufactured my entry?

No. We would prefer to tell readers about those who made substantial contributions to winning entries, but the names of manufacturers may be kept confidential.

Who wins the award—the manufacturer or the distributor?

Whoever submits the entry will be the winner of the award. The entry form also asks for names of companies responsible for manufacturing the entry. Winning entries are featured in Print Solutions Magazine. Both manufacturers and distributors can enter the contest. When a manufacturer enters, the distributor should give approval for the entry submission. When a distributor enters or approves a manufacturer entry, the end user (the distributor's client) should also approve the entry. All parties should understand that winning entries will be on display and subject to publicity. Some distributors may want to keep confidential the names of clients and the products they buy. Some clients may not approve of their name or brand images being entered in contests. See the sample permission form below.

Sample Permission Form

(Distributor Company Name) would like to enter in a national printing industry competition some work we did for (Client Company Name). Our entry will consist of (Describe your entry—the products you created/supplied for the client that will be submitted under your company's name.) The contest honors the work of printing industry companies like mine which serve end-user clients such as yours. Contest winners will be displayed in our industry magazine and at our national convention. By signing this document, you give us permission to enter samples of the work we did for you. Thank you for your assistance!

I approve the use of samples of (describe materials and use Client Company Name) for the Print Solutions Magazine contest entry. Name, Title __________ Signature______________ Date_______________

Where can I download a logo and press release to use to announce that I've won a PEAK Award?
You can download those materials by clicking here.

Please note: The PEAK Awards are in no way associated with, endorsed by, or otherwise sponsored by PEAK Technologies Inc. PEAK Technologies and the company's PEAK logo are registered trademarks of PEAK Technologies Inc.