The British Sign Awards will take place again this year – but under an independent BSA (British Sign Awards) banner.
The Awards, launched in 2013, were developed to celebrate and recognise the skills and talent of UK-based sign businesses, and are now firmly established as a major sign industry event.
Ray Hirst, who created the Awards and has continued, with a small team, to organise them for the past six years, said that following on from the hugely successful 2019 event, the British Sign Awards would continue in 2020.
He explained: “The Awards have so far been run under a trade association banner and, while we would have been content for the relationship to continue, this will no longer be the case.”
The British Sign Awards is the proven, high profile awards scheme for the industry with a format that delivers a great event and celebration of sign making without taking up too much time or stretching budgets.
Hirst continued: “It’s the ideal formula for both busy signmakers and cost conscious finance directors.
“Further, the British Sign Awards already has everything in place to continue with the success it enjoyed in 2019, including its own website, a large and growing social media following and effective and accepted award categories that reflect the diverse skills of the sign industry, plus an easy, free and fair entry system.”
He also revealed that a number of sponsors have already confirmed that they will continue to support the event this year and added that the new, independent status of the Awards offered some extra benefits too.
He said: “Previously many people in the sign industry had the perception that the Awards were the preserve of association members or that the members enjoyed an advantage.
“This was never really the case because we went to great lengths to ensure that judging of entries was anonymous and fair. However, the perception did exist and it was a problem. Now, as totally independent scheme, we believe we can reach out to a much wider cross section of the 4000 or so sign and sign related businesses in the UK.
“We will also ensure that the Awards remain very much a British affair and that entries are judged by a panel of independent British sign industry experts.”
The British Sign Awards will launch its first call for 2020 entries shortly and entry will be open until September.
Hirst concluded: The Awards Celebration and Presentation will again take place at a central UK location in November and our intention is to top the immensely enjoyable 2019 event which received almost universal acclaim and praise from both participant and sponsors.”
For further information, including a complete review of the 2019 Awards and winners, visit the official awards website at www.britishsignawards.org.
To enquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Ray Hirst at ray@britishsignawards.org or telephone 07837 794599.
