Whistl, Paragon, Webmart, and MPS Marketing Services were among the top winners as more than 300 guests gathered for the SMP Awards 2026.
More than 300 print and mailing professionals gathered at The Steel Yard in London for the SMP Awards and Networking Evening 2026. Hosted by IPIA Vice Chair Mark Stephenson, the event recognised standout direct mail campaigns, low-carbon production, and rising talent across four competitive categories.
Whistl Doordrop Media and Paragon took home the headline Platinum Mail Performance Award for their work with Boots Opticians. The door-drop campaign paired local store data with audience targeting to reach households most likely to book appointments. In the same category, Gold went to Precision Proco and PDV for their personalised Vintage Cash Cow mailer, while PDV and Marketreach took Silver for Scrivens Opticians, and Webmart earned Bronze with Paperplanes for Dukes Hill.
Business Development Director at Whistl Doordrop Media, Susie Idle, commented, “The partnership between Paragon and Whistl is so solid, and what we can provide to customers is fundamental to how they have managed to recruit more customers. Door drop has been the absolute best channel for them, and the format was fundamental to the success of this campaign.”
Francesca Baker, Special Projects Manager at MPS Marketing Services, won the Bright Futures Gold Award for stepping up to lead key accounts through a period of business restructuring. Isobel Arnold of Paragon took Silver, Callan Danvers of Paragon Solutions collected Bronze, and Samuel Malanda of Paragon received a High Commendation.
In the Sustainable Campaign category, B Corp-certified marketing agency Webmart secured Gold for its work on the Woodland Trust’s member magazine, Broadleaf. The project tracked and cut lifecycle carbon emissions while introducing clearer reporting for future issues. APS Group was Highly Commended.
The night ended with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Bob Carter of BBS for his work developing the data and address-sorting software used across the modern mailing trade. Strategic Mailing Partnership Chair Lucy Swanston added, “Alongside recognising the next generation through Bright Futures, it felt absolutely right that we should also honour those whose careers have helped build the industry we have today. That combination of experience and emerging talent gives me enormous confidence in mail’s future.”