PIM Star Awards
Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) Star Awards is a prestigious program that honors excellence across every aspect of the graphic communications supply chain from innovative content creation to flawless print production and beyond. Whether you are looking to showcase your company’s finest printed work or recognize a standout team member, the Star Awards are your opportunity to shine. This is more than an awards program, it is a platform to tell your story, honor craftsmanship, and inspire excellence.
Scroll down the page for 2027 Call For Entry details.
BENEFITS OF WINNING
Winning a Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) Star Award offers more than just a trophy, it is a strategic opportunity to elevate your brand, recognize your team, and grow your business. Here is what you gain:
- Industry Recognition: Increase your company’s visibility and credibility across the Midwest printing and graphic communications industry.
- Media Exposure: A press release announcing all winners will be distributed to leading trade publications. Putting your name in front of key decision-makers.
- Exclusive Branding Rights: Winners receive exclusive use of the official Star Awards winner logo for websites, email signatures, social media, and promotional materials.
- Client & Partner Engagement: Present a personalized award to your customers or project collaborators to showcase the success of your joint efforts. A powerful relationship-building tool.
- Feature in PIM Publications: Gain additional exposure in PIM’s printed newsletter, The Loupe, and the annual Print Buyers Guide & Membership Directory.
- Free Entry to National Competition: All Best of Category winners are automatically entered — at no cost to you — into the Americas Print Awards, a prestigious national competition. Entry fees are covered by PIM.
GET READY TO ENTER – Call For Entries Open
Printing Industry Midwest’s (PIM) 2027 Star Awards has begun! Do not wait until the deadline, start collecting your standout pieces and nominations now! This is more than an awards program, it is a platform to tell your story, honor craftsmanship, and inspire excellence. Here are two tips to help you…
1) Select a “Star Awards Coordinator”
Throughout the year this person will collect your flawless printed pieces and collecting information for people to nominate. This person should not be required to find all your entries and nominations on their own. Involve everyone at your company so be involve to find your stars!
2) Start a “Star Awards Box”
This box can hold your projects and testimonials for employee nominations. When it comes time to enter in the winter, you will have everything you need in one spot. Remember you can send in your entries before the deadline.
HOW TO SUBMIT…
PRINT PIECES
Deadline: February 3, 2027 at 12:00 PM (CST)
1. SELECT YOUR BEST PIECE(S): Select your best piece(s) to enter that you produced between January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. You will need to send in two (unmounted) samples for each category you wish to enter. Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) will not return your submissions after the competition is complete.
Your first entry is FREE. Each entry after that is $40. You must be a PIM member in good standing to enter.
2. REVIEW RULES & CATEGORY LIST: Next, review the entry rules and the category list. One entry can be submitted into multiple categories.
Remember to enter your pieces honestly. Only enter a piece under a category, if you did the work and had a direct role in the production of the printed piece(s) entered.
3. COMPLETE FORMS:
- Online Master Form: Complete one form per company. The way you list your “Company Name” and “Entry Title” on this form is exactly how they will appear on your award and in PIM promotional materials. It also MUST match exactly on the corresponding ID Form & Tags.
- ID Form & Tags: Print and complete these forms. One ID Form per entry (page 2). The ID Tags (page 3) should carefully be attached to the each entry.
4. MAIL: Lastly, mail entries and completed ID Form & Tags to Printing Industry Midwest’s (PIM) Office (8011 34th Avenue S. Suite 150, Bloomington, MN 55425) by the deadline, February 3, 2027 at 12:00 PM (CST). Please make should your packages arrive on or before the deadline.
Once you have mailed your entries, please email starawards@pimw.org so we can watch for your package. PIM staff works remote, so we are not in the office regularly.
5. JUDGING: In February, a team of industry experts will review all entries. An entry is judged first on technical expertise and quality of printing; next on design features and overall graphic appeal. Entries with visible technical flaws will be disqualified from the judging process. Please check your samples carefully. Judges will not know which company submitted the entry (except in the case of self-promotion category).
6. RESULTS: PIM will reach out with the results in February/March. You will be able to order duplicate or custom awards at this time. Promote and announce your wins after you get the results or wait until after the banquet to announce or do both.
7. CELEBRATE: PIM’s Star Awards Banquet will be held in June 17, 2027 at the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, Bloomington, MN. We encourage everyone to attend the banquet to celebrate. It is an honor to submit print pieces!
HOW TO…
NOMINATE PEERS
Deadline: February 3, 2027 at 12:00 PM (CST)
1. GATHER INFORMATION: There are eight different Printing Industry Midwest (PIM) professional awards you can nominate co-workers or industry peers for. Collect testimonials, examples, or other documentation that demonstrate why your nominee deserves recognition.
It is FREE to nominate professionals and there is no limit to how many people you can nominate. You must be a PIM member in good standing to enter.
2. COMPLETE NOMINATION FORM: Read all the nomination criteria, answer all questions on the form, and provide as much detail as possible.
Click the links below to view nomination criteria and forms. Here are the eight awards you can nominate someone for…
- Creative Professional
- Customer Service Representative (CSR)
- Finance Professional
- Human Resource (HR) Professional
- Manager
- Production Professional
- Team
- Young Professional
There is a “SAVE AND RESUME LATER” button at the bottom of each form. By clicking this, your form will be saved for 30 days and a unique link will be created for you to access and resume working your form.
3. SUBMIT BY THE DEADLINE: Complete the online form by answering each question by the deadline, February 3, 2027 at 12:00 PM (CST).
4. JUDGING: In February, a committee will review all nominations. Late nominations may not be accepted or considered. If a form is not fully complete, it will not be accepted. The more information you can provide the easier it is to understand how outstanding your nominee is.
5. RESULTS: PIM will reach out to the nominator with the results in February/March. Please do not tell the nominee if they won. The identity of the winner will remain a secret until the Star Awards Banquet. All nominations will be recognized and the winners will be announced at banquet. Winners will receive a framed certificate and everyone else will receive a certificate in a folder.
6. CELEBRATE: PIM’s Star Awards Banquet will be held in June 17, 2027 at the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, Bloomington, MN. We encourage everyone to attend the banquet to celebrate. It is an honor to be nominated!
