Gift of the Year 2022 Finalists Announced!

It is the news that the home and giftware industry has been waiting for! After an exciting live judging day at Spring Fair, the judges’ votes have been counted, with The Giftware Association delighted to reveal today (Monday February 14) which six products are the official finalists in each category for the Gift of the Year (GOTY) 2022 awards. View the finalists here.

The winners and highly commended products will be announced at The Gift Awards, to be held at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Thursday 12 May, marking a significant unified step forward for the UK gift industry.

The awards event ceremony will bring together the GA’s Gift of the Year Awards and The Greats gift retailer awards – currently celebrating their 20^th milestone year - organised and owned by Max Publishing (publishers of Progressive Gifts & Home magazine). At the lavish awards event, both gift product excellence and retail prowess will be duly recognised and rewarded.

In addition, Gift of the Year finalists are also in with a chance of winning the coveted Judges Choice award, presented in previous years to Gingko, Go La La and Talking Tables.

Commenting on the Gift of the Year live judging day held on 9February during Spring Fair, The Giftware Association was delighted to confirm that it was a huge success, with the judges having enjoyed seeing and holding the shortlisted products as well as discussing their relative merits with fellow judges.

“It was great to be back to live judging again as it was sorely missed last year,” stated The Giftware Association’s CEO Sarah Ward.  “And being able to hold the judging during Spring Fair – the most important exhibition on the gift industry’s calendar - makes perfect sense.”

Continued Sarah: “We are delighted that Gift of the Year 2022 has been so well supported by the whole gift community - from Hyve Group’s commitment as headline sponsor to our strong roster of category sponsors – in addition to the widespread engagement from the suppliers who entered, and the great care and attention to detail from our enthusiastic judges. I can’t wait for everyone to celebrate together at The Gift Awards on May 12!”

Summing up the view of the many retailers and industry experts who formed the GOTY judging panel, Ian Downes, director of Start Licensing commented: “I so enjoyed reviewing all the shortlisted entries and chatting to my fellow judges. There were a few recurring themes that I noticed across the entries, most notably being a greater awareness of sustainability with regard to product development and packaging.”

Once again, The Gift of the Year awards will also be announcing the People’s Choice award which is judged by the general public, enabling everyone to vote for their favourite product across all of the Gift of the Year categories. This year, The Giftware Association has opened it up to all shortlisted products, so there is still an opportunity for a shortlisted company to get through to become the second ever People’s Choice winner.

To view the GOTY finalists, click here – https://www.giftoftheyear.co.uk/2022-category

The Gift Awards 2022 enjoys a strong roster of sponsors including Spring Fair and Autumn Fair as headline supporter, plus: Abysse Corp; Brand Licensing Europe; British Allied Trades Federation (BATF); Candlelight; Cardzone; Carte Blanche Greetings; Gift Republic; Gisela Graham; Home & Gift Harrogate; Joe Davies; Lesser & Pavey; Life Charms; Progressive Greetings Live; Talking Tables; Top Drawer and Widdop and Co.

Tickets and tables for the awards event on May 12 can be booked via the Max Publishing digital box office event at Max-Tickets.net or by contacting event organiser Createvents: clare@createvents.co.uk or 0118 334 0085

To find out more about The Gift Awards and book tickets click here – https://www.thegiftawards.com/