The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (DCCI) Printing and Publishing Group (PPG) has launched the 2008 edition of the Dubai Print Award (DPA) – GCC.

The awards will be presented at a gala event on January 27, 2009, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai.

The third annual Dubai Print Award will highlight the industry’s solid 2008 performance.

Organized under the patronage of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, Dubai Print Award 2008 will hand out Gold, Silver and Special Jury awards for 20 different categories, including six debuting Digital Printing Maximum Size (A3) awards.

The Digital Printing category includes point-of-purchase materials, posters, annual reports, cards, brochures and catalogues, and newsletters.

“The Dubai Print Award is an excellent platform to promote printing and publishing quality and excellence throughout the GCC. It provides industry with benchmarks for further growth and also influences a culture of quality in our products and services,' said Tarek Jawherji, CEO, Color Lines Group.

“Last year, PPG decided to expand the scope of the award to cover the entire Gulf, which resulted in strong participation from all the GCC countries, and in turn benefiting the whole Middle Eastern industry. We are in a point in time where the Gulf offers vast opportunities for our sector; DPA provides us with a welcome extra motivation to excel in this highly progressive market,” said Ahmed Al Sheikh, managing director, Modern Printing Press.

PPG’s decision to establish a Gulf-wide competition is part of its intense campaign to boost printing and publishing activities throughout the Gulf. The region’s increasing population and the economic boom it has been experiencing have been key contributors to the printing industry’s phenomenal growth and are expected to spur a 15 to 20 per cent annual growth rate through 2011, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service