Ward’s Words SARAH WARD GIFTWARE ASSOCIATION
Blue Eyed Sun
Designed in Colour
Victoria Eggs
Gift Of The Year 2022 As the Gift of the Year competition returns for its 44th year, Sarah Ward provides some insight into the judging process and previous winners reveal the impact winning had on their business. It’s 10pm on a dark and cold Wednesday night in January, The “The GOTY Giftware Team have just finished preparing the venue in Birmingham competition has for the live judging day for Gift of the been running for Year, a process which has involved unboxing hundreds of products 44 years and has and displaying them in their correct categories and making sure they evolved over that are all accounted for and presented time to become the in their best possible light. With each product proudly on display it largest competition is ready for the judges, made up of retailers, buyers and key industry in the home and experts and trade press to judge early on the Thursday morning. We gift industry” can now rest easy knowing that the next day is set to welcome the judges and excitingly find out who the competition’s next winners will be. We know it’s a long day, and some of the judges have had early starts to travel the length and breadth of the country to come here but it’s now become one of the key events in a buyer’s calendar to see the best next-to-market products in the flesh having voted for them in the previous online rounds. The live judging day is one of The Giftware Associations favourite parts of running GOTY, speaking to buyers and hearing their views on the products present, and was sadly missed in 2021’s competition due to the The Crafty Kit Co pandemic, we are very much looking forward to welcoming the judges back in January and to hear their views and opinions on
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the products present. Although this is one of the judges’ favourite parts, as an organiser there is so much more to the competition through each of its various stages to eventually announcing the prestigious winners. The GOTY competition has now been running for 44 years and has become the largest competition in the home and gift industry with winners being announced at Spring Fair. Last year saw us pivot the competition to mainly online with both the judging stages being done digitally, and the winner’s ceremonies celebrated on individual zooms for the categories. Even through the changes to the competition over the years, it has still had the same success stories for our entrants who have celebrated victory, revelled in their accomplishment and have really raised their profiles. If you make, design or produce amazing gifts or products then enter it into this year’s Gift of the Year competition to find out how it can raise your brand, but don’t just take our word for it, hear what previous winners have had to say; “Winning Gift of the Year has been a huge help to my business. I received a lot of publicity at the time and it gave the products and myself as a designer a level of credibility and reliability that I did not have before. I had only been in business a year when my products were awarded and it really elevated the brand and opportunities available to me”. 2012 winner - Victoria Eggs “Entering the awards provides an opportunity for your product to get noticed. We are a small business, with limited time and
budgets. The GOTY has consistently been a way for us to showcase annually what we are doing with the added bonus of potentially being shortlisted or even winning, which 100% makes it worth entering every year! The competition is always hot, with entries from both small and large companies; judged by people in the industry with relevant and valuable expertise.” 2017 winner, Designed in Colour “Winning a Gift of the Year Award in 2020 was a fantastic achievement for The Crafty Kit Company, of which we are extremely proud. Our Baby Bunny Needle Felting Kit has become one of our best-selling products, and we are sure that seeing the prestigious Gift of the Year Award logo on our packaging and website has provided confidence to both our trade and retail customers.” 2020 winner, The Crafty Kit Company “Entering the awards is quick and easy on the website. We submit our new products every year to get them in front of key buyers who judge the awards. Being shortlisted is a fantastic boost for your products. Winning really puts your business on the industry map. We have seen significant uplift in leads, customers and sales as a result of winning.” 2021 winner, Blue Eyed Sun
To enter the Gift of the Year competition, visit www.giftoftheyear.co.uk
