9th July saw 2026’s Rising Star Awards winner constellation shining brightly at the annual winner celebration at the House of Lords.
Printing Charity President Emeritus and long-standing Rising Star Award supporter Lord
Black of Brentwood hosted the ceremony for 82 winners, who between them represent the
sheer range and diversity of career paths and roles available within the print sector. 59% are
working in the charity’s core sectors: print, paper and packaging.
The Printing Charity is investing over £111,000 in the futures of this year’s winners. This
translates to funding for 155 courses, covering training and development to build our Stars’
skills in areas ranging from vehicle wrapping, UX and textile printing to sustainability, digital
engagement, accountancy, and AI.
This year, 43% of courses selected were for personal development, including project
management, public speaking, leadership and management, and coaching to make genuine
connections, all helping build truly transferrable skills to support progression and success in
any job role.
This year saw a 41% increase in winners working in technical roles, highlighting winners’
commitment to professional development that will help drive print’s high-tech future
forward.
“One look at the content of the courses funded through this year’s Rising Star Awards
emphasises the huge potential for people to build a successful career in any discipline within
our sector. This is part of the sector’s superpower,” said Printing Charity CEO Neil Lovell.
“It also shows the determination of people starting out in their careers to effectively equip
themselves for a rapidly-evolving future by concentrating on studying personal skills and
capabilities to support their growth, regardless of where their career paths take them. With
this in mind, it was right to extend the award age range to 35, acknowledging that, more
than ever, careers are unlikely to be linear, and so providing support for people making a
later career pivot to join the sector, and those determined to upskill to take advantage of
new opportunities as they arise.”
Visit The Printing Charity website to learn more about this year’s winners:
Aaron Leishman, Cuong Dinh and Millie Jackson, all of Bluetree Group; Abby King of Shotton
Mill Ltd; Adam Dobbie of Newsprinters EuroCentral; Alexandra Bartholomew of the
University of Strathclyde; Alice Tradewell, Laura Neilson and Melissa Thomas, all of Liverpool
University Press; Amber Hardman, Lily Mayneord and Michelle Huggins, all of Signs Express
Ltd; Amy Douglas of SAGE Publishing; Amy Elkheart of Elkheart Editorial; Anagha Suresh of
Precision Proco; Anna Sofija Pranevska of Tungate Group; Anthony Pearson of CJ Strain &
Sons; Barbara Grotta of Imago Group; Beatrice Spencer of Very Displays; Becki Hiskey of
Fedrigoni UK Ltd; Callum David of Eurostampa UK; Carys Evans of Karis Copp Media;
Catherine Edwards and Francesca Baker, both of MPS Marketing Services Ltd; Celine
MacLeod and Heidi Appleton, both of Penguin Random House UK; Daryl Hutton of Eastern
Exhibition & Display; Declan Connolly of Open Eye Gallery; Edward Chesterman of
Futureprint (part of FM Future Limited); Emily May-Gordon and Madison Powlesland, both
of Art Angels; Emma Ferguson of Emerald Publishing Limited; Emma Huzzard and Joe
Borland, both of Qualvis Print & Packaging Ltd; Felix Pope, freelance; Finn Haunch of Oxford
University Press; Hannah Davenport of PrintWeek; Han Noss, freelance; Harriet Hirshman of
Dead Ink Books; Harrison Dyehouse, Harvey Stephens-Dunn and Michael Uff, all of Budget
Paper Supplies Ltd; Hayley Moss of Watkins Media Ltd; Isobel Arnold, Melissa Oakley and
Olly Nicholls, all of Paragon; Jack Blyth of Northern Flags and Faber Exposize UK; Jack
MacIver and Katie Hanlon, both of the University of Glasgow Print Unit; Jade Biss and Rimal
Khan, both of Canon UK; Jasmine Owens, freelance; Jessica Jackson of Kimberly-Clark; Jingye
Liu of APP (Calington Ltd); Jordan Howe of Screen Europe (UK); Josh Middleton, Matthew
Walker and Melissa MacIntyre, all of Smurfit Westrock; Jude Corless of Hybrid Services Ltd;
Kierian Cameron of House of Cult Brands Ltd; Latifah Salaudeen of ProPack Direct Mail Ltd;
Lee Spivey of Springfield Solutions Ltd (All 4 Labels Group); Libby Clifford of Make it Happen
Signage Consultancy Ltd; Lily Kehoe of Manchester University Press (University of
Manchester); Lisa Shepherd and Patryk Bebech, both of MBA Group; Lucy Ashworth of LSE
Press; Marco Suttie, freelance journalist; Maya Sales-Hyde of Pushkin Press Ltd; Mohammed
Rahit Choudhury of DS Smith; Natalie Haytayan of Harkwell Labels Ltd; Nathan Mclauchlan-
Welsh of MTWO Search; Paula Moreno of Durnell Marketing Ltd; Peyton Stableford of
Pellerin Books; Priyanka Joshi of Cambridge University Press and Assessment; Savannah Dale
of the University of Plymouth; Sophie Porteous of HarperCollins UK Ltd; Tamsin Shattock of
KGK Genix (Essex) Ltd; Thomas Anderson of BBC Leeds (Freelance); Tomisin Chuka of
Tradeprint; Wesley Duffy of Edward Elgar Publishing; and Zoe Lovell of James Cropper plc.