After a nail-biting few months, the shortlist for this year’s Gift of the Year competition, organised by The Giftware Association, has been announced, which can be viewed on the Gift of the Year website Gift of the Year.
“This year has been a fantastic year for us,” enthused The GA’s marketing and PR manager, Chris Workman. “We have grown the competition, attracted brand new companies to the awards, and refined our categories. Some of the products that have been entered are very exciting, and we can’t wait to showcase this year’s shortlist and celebrate the incredible entries in this year’s awards competition.”
Chris said that, despite the challenges faced globally, the creative industry has shown no signs of slowing down, with this year’s competition the biggest yet. “With an incredible amount of innovation and creativity on display, the judges have had a tough time choosing their favourites for the first round of judging, which took place throughout December,” Chris emphasised.
Due to demand from the judging panel, this year’s shortlist has been expanded, reflecting the scale of some of the most popular categories, such as ethical gift.
This competition has been judged by over 100 judges, all retail experts. “The consensus is that it was the hardest to judge to date, because of the amount of quality on display,” Chris points out. “We are hugely grateful for the time and expertise given by the judges, who worked though the Christmas break to select the shortlist in each category and, this year, the judges were able to use the new system. We have had some standout products and have received record votes in each category.
“The shortlist this year reflects all the hard work and innovation from our industry, despite the challenges being faced with staffing, logistics, rising costs and so on. Our Gift of the Year blog shares some of the stories from our entrants this year, as well as some of the success stories from past years’ competitions.”
Chris added: “Congratulations to all our shortlisted companies, and a huge thank you to everyone who entered our competition this year.”
The next round of judging will be the live round, which will be held for the duration of Spring Fair, taking place from 5-8 February at the NEC. Visit The Giftware Association; Visit www.springfair.com
