Celebrate your success by entering the SMP Strategic Mail Performance Awards

Print Solutions Direct Mail Solutions

Every year the SMP Strategic Mail Performance Awards provide a platform to celebrate the creativity, brilliance and ingenuity of our incredible industry – demonstrating and promoting its hard work and innovation. They are also a showcase for young professionals in the industry and support the next generation of emerging talent.

If you are a mailing house, printer, print manager or agency, then you are eligible to enter 2024’s awards scheme for free – the winners of which will be announced at an evening full of fun, laughter and entertainment on September 26 at The Steel Yard, London.

The deadline for entries is August 23, so head to the following link to find out more and submit your stories of ingenuity and excellence. You can enter here

The awards evening will be hosted by UK comedian and star of the stage and screen Ellie Taylor.

UK Mail is the headline sponsor for 2024, with a fantastic cross section of 14 print technology developers, media suppliers and mail service providers all supporting the awards to amplify the SMP’s work to advocate for the industry.

‘I am particularly excited about the SMP Bright Futures Award, as we are able to showcase the next generation of amazing talent coming through our industry and provide a platform to celebrate their endeavour and excellence,’ said Jon Wilkins, director of DSA Mail, UK Mail.

He added, ‘It is specifically designed to recognise emerging talent in the UK print industry and give us the chance to highlight individuals who show amazing promise in any discipline and at any level.’

Open to entrants under the age of 30, the winner of the SMP Bright Futures Award will receive £1500 of IDM learning credits to spend on DMA learning products – including masterclasses and qualifications to support their development. In addition to publicity and recognition across the SMP’s media channels, the top three runner up winners will also receive £450 of learning credits to spend on a DMA masterclass of their choice.

The additional returning categories for 2024 are the SMP Performance Award and the Sustainable Campaign Award, which have both seen a record number of impressive entries.

‘The Performance Award looks for an outstanding mail campaign that has gone above and beyond a client’s expectations – helping to increase the impact and engagement rate of the mail piece, while delivering a measurable return on investment,’ said Lucy Swanston, SMP chair and the managing director of Nutshell Creative – who is a judge for the awards.

Lucy continued, ‘The Sustainable Campaign Award recognises the positive effect that a mail producer’s production strategy has made both internally, and also across the entire value chain. This includes areas such as client involvement, raw materials, transportation and delivery, broader public engagement and behaviour change – as well as the end of life phase of the campaign.’

With a host of talented and highly respected professionals from across the mailing industry making up the judging panel, the awards are free to enter and are open to all SMP members – if a business is not already a member, they can sign up to become one for free and submit an entry.

‘The Strategic Mail Performance Awards not only aim to celebrate exceptional work within our industry. They also shine a bright light on the excellence of our sector’s products, services and creative solutions direct to brands and the wider marketing industry,’ emphasised Lucy, who added: ‘The awards generate a wealth of rich case studies that the SMP use as inspirational examples that prove the effectiveness and value of mail as marketing and communications channel.’

Entries can cover business mail, advertising mail, door drop or partially addressed mailings and can be business to business or business to consumer focused.