Print of the Year
The Curtis Trophy
At the same committee meeting in 1962 that Don Benton proposed donating a trophy, the then President George Hunt, proposed a second trophy and was charged with finding a suitable donor. This second trophy was duly acquired and purchased.
The Curtis Trophy (CLICK ON IMAGE TO EXPAND)
With two trophies now available, the Committee determined that this second trophy was to be awarded for the Print of the Year and that the recipient would be able to take the trophy home for the year and return it before the next presentation night, a tradition still operating today for all IPS trophies.
William (Bill) Curtis became the IPS President soon after this trophy had been acquired but resigned from the presidency before the trophy was presented in mid-1963. It appears that the Committee decided to name the trophy in his honour as the Curtis Trophy. Very little is known about Bill Curtis, other than he was on the Committee for several years, was founding editor for the IPS newsletter NIPS, and moved to Canberra sometime in the late 1960s.
The Curtis Trophy has been presented every year since its inception and is only one of only two original and ongoing trophies from the early days of IPS (together with the Stan Harrison Trophy).
The Les Swaby Memorial Trophy: B Grade Print of the Year
From 1987, annual medallions were awarded for the Machine Print of the Year, which by 1999 evolved into the B-Grade Print of the Year, when IPS formally established A and B grades across both print and projected images competition categories. Les Swaby had been a very active member and great contributor to IPS for many years, a past President and Life Member of the Society. He passed away in 1999 and an annual trophy for the B-Grade Print of the Year was created and named as a memorial to him. With the removal of grades in 2020, this trophy is not currently active.
Les Swaby
The Les Swaby Memorial Trophy (CLICK ON IMAGE TO EXPAND)
Recipients of the annual Print of the Year award
RECIPIENTS OF THE ANNUAL B-GRADE PRINT OF THE YEAR AWARD