About the Awards

How are the awards different from being featured on FPO?

FPO, the blog, has a wider threshold of acceptance, including a variety of projects that range from exceptionally designed and produced to moderately well designed and produced but always with one or two key ingredients in either design or production that are worth sharing with readers. The Awards, in contrast, will be a highly scrutinized selection that represents the very best.

Why should I enter the FPO Awards and not some other awards?

he FPO Awards are one of the few — if not the only — competition to focus on design and production with an even 50/50 emphasis, celebrating the work of not just the designers but of the printers, binders and even paper manufacturers. Our judges represent this broader view by having three designer judges and two printer judges. By accepting only actual samples (no renderings or photographs) the FPO Awards ensure that the work selected is real and has been subject to the challenges of production.

About the Judges

Is the judging online or in person?

All five judges will convene in Austin, TX to collectively select the winning work.

About the Categories

I have a project that has, for example, a letterpress cover and an offset body, what do I do?

You may enter it either as a Mix (category 14) or enter it in multiple categories for each method to be judged individually (separate fees apply).

About the fees

I'm submitting a book with more than 24 pages but I only want it to be judged for the cover, do I need to pay $80 (Cover + 28 pages or more) or $40 (Flat)?

$40. Our judges then only have to look at a single page of the project.

I'm submitting a wine label but I only want to send the label without the bottle, do I need to pay $60 (Packaging) or $40 (Flat)?

$60. You must submit the actual sample so, in the case of a wine label, it’s imperative to judge the label in the context of the bottle.

My business card folds once, do I need to pay $40 (Single Fold) or $20 (Business Card)?

$20. Business card trumps fold.

About Eligibility

I am a print broker, binder, or fulfiller that had a hand in the project. Can I submit a project we worked on?

Yes, as long as you credit the designer and printer and can answer all the necessary questions in the submission form.

I am not a designer, design firm, or printer, I am a client. Can I submit a project we commissioned?

Yes, as long as you credit the designer and printer and can answer all the necessary questions in the submission form.

Are self-promotional projects eligible?

Yes, they are.

I created this awesome print project in 2005, can I submit it?

No, only work produced in 2013 and 2014 is eligible.

I created this awesome print project but I only produced 5 (or 20, or 35, or 49) samples, can I submit it?

No, 50 is the absolute minimum quantity.

About the Winners

What do winners get?

1. A certificate of award for each winning entry.
2. Inclusion in the printed, on-demand book.
3. Inclusion in the open-access web showcase.
4. Best of Show, Radical Production, and Sustainability winners will each receive 4 free tickets to the 2014 Brand New Conference. All Best of Category and Judges' Picks will receive each 2 free tickets. Travel or accommodations are not included.

Do winners get a copy of the on-demand book?

No. Unfortunately the economics of publishing books are not working anymore so we are not printing in bulk and the cost of on-demand books is too high to provide around 75 free books.

Why are you not publishing a book like previous years?

The cost of production and distribution is barely being covered by the demand of the printed book; as much as we would like to keep it going, we can not operate at a loss.

When will winners be notified?

Shortly after judging is complete, currently scheduled for June 20, 2014.

E-mail us if we have left something unanswered.