Turn on the Subtitles, a campaign that aims to improve literacy level among children by encouraging the use of subtitles on television, has been named Innovator of the Year at the Stationers’ Innovation Excellence Awards.
On 23 June the team behind the campaign, which claims that turning on the TV subtitles can double the chances of a child becoming good at reading, were presented with the award at a live hybrid awards ceremony, attended by an audience of over 150. This is the first time since 2014 that the award has gone to a campaign and not a product.
The campaign was launched on World Book Day back in March, with a budget of just £1000. It was started by two British entrepreneurs, Henry Warren and Oli Barrett, who managed to persuade celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Sandi Toksvig and Lenny Henry to lend their support. In addition to being names Innovator of the Year, Turn on the Subtitles also scooped the Award for Communications including Marketing.
Turn on the Subtitles is not alone in battling the scourge of illiteracy. Earlier this month Topic Heroes, an initiative designed to motivate and inspire young writers in primary schools in the UK by encouraging creative writing projects culminating in the production of a professionally printed book for each child to dedicate to a family member or friend, was launched by Nutshell Creative. Supported by Whitmar Publications, the publisher of Digital Printer, Digital Labels & Packaging and FlexoTech magazines, the programme aims to provide every primary school-aged child in the UK with the opportunity to create and receive a printed copy of a book unique to them.
Renz UK was also honoured at the ceremony, winning the Pandemic Response Exceptional Performance Award. The judges were particularly impressed by the way the company, a designer and manufacturer of punching and binding equipment, pivoted to producing PPE and other office supplies at the height of the pandemic.
