It’s time to shine! The Printing Charity’s 2026 Rising Star Awards open
Apply now to join the constellation!
The Printing Charity’s Rising Star Awards open today (2nd March 2026).
Now in their 17th year, the Awards provide people progressing a career in print, paper, packaging, graphics or publishing with the opportunity to invest in training and development to build skills and capabilities to shine in their career.
2025 Rising Star Winners at the ceremony at the House of Lords
Award winners receive up to £1500 in funding, which does not have to be repaid, to undertake the right training and development to continue the momentum of their career trajectory. This year, the awards are open for people aged 18-35, with the extended age range designed to support those who have made a career pivot to join the sector, or who are looking to upskill to prepare for changing professional growth opportunities.
Award winners receive up to £1500 in funding, which does not have to be repaid, to undertake the right training and development to continue the momentum of their career trajectory. This year, the awards are open for people aged 18-35, with the extended age range designed to support those who have made a career pivot to join the sector, or who are looking to upskill to prepare for changing professional growth opportunities.
Applicants can work within any position in the print sector. 2025 saw 78 winners with roles as diverse as CAD programmer, electrical engineer, graphic designer, pre-press operator, print finisher, production planner, sign maker and transport and logistics coordinator.
The variety of courses funded through the awards, unsurprisingly, reflected this, with 148 courses supported overall, a 41% increase on 2024.
The courses covered personal development, boosting people’s ability to thrive in today’s workplaces; and leadership and management, requested by winners looking to lead in multiple disciplines. Core skills courses helped winners broaden their role-related capabilities; and industry-recognised qualifications from professional bodies were chosen by a significant number of winners seeking recognisable accreditations to help with career development.
Winners see immediate impact from training funded through the awards. 2025 Awards alumnus Jade Sullivan, from Positive+, explained: “I began applying what I learned straight away in my role. The course has given me the confidence to speak with colleagues and management, knowing that my ideas and suggestions are backed by solid, evidence-based theories.”
Tradeprint’s Marc Farmer, who also won last year, comments on the awards’ wider impact. “It’s led to new conversations, networking opportunities, and industry involvement that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” he says.
Printing Charity CEO Neil Lovell commented: “Each year, the Rising Star Awards celebrate exceptional individuals shaping their careers in an industry we are proud to represent. As our flagship programme, the Rising Stars attract and support emerging talent, highlighting the breadth of opportunity print offers and the many paths to success within our sector.”
Applications are open until Sunday 29th March. Before applying, it’s a good idea for potential Stars to speak to their manager, mentor, HR team or a trusted colleague to help identify and sense-check skills gaps or personal development goals, and gain initial ideas on what courses could best address these. Rising Star grants are for training and development that sits outside role-specific training, which will be provided by employers.
Information about the Awards process, plus advice and ideas on everything from putting together the best application to searching for courses, can be found on the Rising Star Hub on the Printing Charity website.
Once started, the application form can be saved and returned to at any point until submission. For any questions, please e-mail awards@theprintingcharity.org.uk.