The Printing Charity celebrates the next generation of print sector talent as Rising Stars winners are invited to House of Lords event
Eighty-two of the print sector’s brightest young professionals have been honoured at the House of Lords for the annual Rising Star Awards celebration. Hosted on 9 July by Lord Black of Brentwood, President Emeritus of the Printing Charity and a long-standing supporter of the initiative, the Westminster ceremony spotlighted the diverse career paths and expanding technical roles driving the modern industry forward.
This year’s cohort represents a wide cross-section of the trade, with 59 per cent of the recipients working directly within the core print, paper and packaging sectors. The awards also saw a significant 41 per cent surge in winners coming from specialised technical disciplines. To foster long-term career development and support individuals making lateral moves into the industry, the Printing Charity have extended the award eligibility age threshold up to 35 this year.
Neil Lovell, Chief Executive of the Printing Charity, said, ‘One look at the content of the courses funded through this year’s Rising Star Awards emphasises the huge potential for people to build a successful career in any discipline within our sector. This is part of the sector’s superpower.’
To back their long-term progression, the charity are funding 155 individual training modules for the winners, representing a total educational investment of over £111,000. These courses are chosen by the recipients themselves to match their specific ambitions, covering everything from practical craftsmanship like vehicle wrapping and textile printing to emerging operational fields such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, and personal leadership.
Lovell added that the expanded age limit directly acknowledges that modern career paths are rarely linear, helping individuals pivot smoothly into print or upskill to take advantage of new trade opportunities as they arise.
The complete list of 2026 Rising Star winners includes:
Aaron Leishman, Cuong Dinh and Millie Jackson of Bluetree Group; Abby King of Shotton Mill Ltd; Adam Dobbie of Newsprinters EuroCentral; Alexandra Bartholomew of the University of Strathclyde; Alice Tradewell, Laura Neilson and Melissa Thomas of Liverpool University Press; Amber Hardman, Lily Mayneord and Michelle Huggins of Signs Express Ltd; Amy Douglas of SAGE Publishing; Amy Elkheart of Elkheart Editorial; Anagha Suresh of Precision Proco; Anna Sofija Pranevska of Tungate Group; Anthony Pearson of CJ Strain & Sons; Barbara Grotta of Imago Group; Beatrice Spencer of Very Displays; Becki Hiskey of Fedrigoni UK Ltd; Callum David of Eurostampa UK; Carys Evans of Karis Copp Media; Catherine Edwards and Francesca Baker of MPS Marketing Services Ltd; Celine MacLeod and Heidi Appleton of Penguin Random House UK; Daryl Hutton of Eastern Exhibition & Display; Declan Connolly of Open Eye Gallery; Edward Chesterman of Futureprint (part of FM Future Limited); Emily May-Gordon and Madison Powlesland of Art Angels; Emma Ferguson of Emerald Publishing Limited; Emma Huzzard and Joe Borland of Qualvis Print & Packaging Ltd; freelance professional Felix Pope; Finn Haunch of Oxford University Press; Hannah Davenport of PrintWeek; freelance professional Han Noss; Harriet Hirshman of Dead Ink Books; Harrison Dyehouse, Harvey Stephens-Dunn and Michael Uff of Budget Paper Supplies Ltd; Hayley Moss of Watkins Media Ltd; Isobel Arnold, Melissa Oakley and Olly Nicholls of Paragon; Jack Blyth of Northern Flags and Faber Exposize UK; Jack MacIver and Katie Hanlon of the University of Glasgow Print Unit; Jade Biss and Rimal Khan of Canon UK; freelance professional Jasmine Owens; Jessica Jackson of Kimberly-Clark; Jingye Liu of APP (Calington Ltd); Jordan Howe of Screen Europe (UK); Josh Middleton, Matthew Walker and Melissa MacIntyre of Smurfit Westrock; Jude Corless of Hybrid Services Ltd; Kierian Cameron of House of Cult Brands Ltd; Latifah Salaudeen of ProPack Direct Mail Ltd; Lee Spivey of Springfield Solutions Ltd (All 4 Labels Group); Libby Clifford of Make it Happen Signage Consultancy Ltd; Lily Kehoe of Manchester University Press (University of Manchester); Lisa Shepherd and Patryk Bebech of MBA Group; Lucy Ashworth of LSE Press; freelance journalist Marco Suttie; Maya Sales-Hyde of Pushkin Press Ltd; Mohammed Rahit Choudhury of DS Smith; Natalie Haytayan of Harkwell Labels Ltd; Nathan Mclauchlan-Welsh of MTWO Search; Paula Moreno of Durnell Marketing Ltd; Peyton Stableford of Pellerin Books; Priyanka Joshi of Cambridge University Press and Assessment; Savannah Dale of the University of Plymouth; Sophie Porteous of HarperCollins UK Ltd; Tamsin Shattock of KGK Genix (Essex) Ltd; freelance professional Thomas Anderson of BBC Leeds; Tomisin Chuka of Tradeprint; Wesley Duffy of Edward Elgar Publishing; and Zoe Lovell of James Cropper plc.
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