Print Olympiad: East Zone round one begins

Organised by the Offset Printers Association (OPA), the first round of the East Zone for the 7th Edition of Print Olympiad — taking place on 28 February — commenced with an introduction to the concept of Print Olympiad by professor Madhura Mahajan, chief coordinator. 

Mahajan highlighted the vision behind the initiative, a platform that encourages excellence and professional preparedness among students of printing and packaging programs. 

The welcome address and introduction to OPA were delivered by professor Kamal Mohan Chopra, project chairman, who emphasised the association’s commitment to promoting printing education, skill development, and global competitiveness. He underscored the importance of structured competitions in preparing students to meet evolving industry standards. 

The East Zone coordinators, Shankhya Debnath from the Regional Institute of Printing Technology, Kolkata and Beer Bahadur Singh from Government Polytechnic, Patna, acknowledged the active participation of institutions and faculty members in mobilising students for the event. 

The programme was further enriched by the presence of distinguished guests of honour, Ram Nath Choudhary and Tanweer Alam, who addressed the participants and encouraged them to view the competition as a valuable learning opportunity beyond rankings. 

A distinguished panel of judges comprising AK Sinha, professor Diptendu Chowdhury, Hemanta Kumar Mishra, Anish Kumar Gupta and Ashutosh Upadhyay — senior academicians and industry experts — lent credibility and academic rigour to the event. Their presence reflected the balanced evaluation standards upheld by the Print Olympiad. 

The chief guest, Deepak Walia, managing director at Manroland Sheetfed, addressed the gathering and highlighted the importance of competence-driven education and industry-ready skills. He encouraged students to embrace continuous learning and professional excellence in an increasingly technology-driven printing landscape. He mentioned, “The world is changing. Print is changing. And if students wish to lead tomorrow’s industry, they must evolve with these changing times.” 

The technical proceedings were coordinated by TKS Lakshmi Priya, the technical coordinator, who oversaw attendance marking and provided detailed instructions to ensure the transparent conduct of the online MCQ-based first-round examination. 

The results of the East Zone First Round were subsequently declared by professor Kamal Mohan Chopra: Shubham Kumar, Ruchi Kumari, and Harshit Chakraborty.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Anubhava Shiksharthi, advisor, Print Olympiad and Ashwani Gupta of OPA and President of All India Federation of Printers and Packagers (AIFPP), who acknowledged the contributions of dignitaries, coordinators, judges, participating institutions, faculty members, students, and the technical team. 

The second round of the East Zone is scheduled for 19 March 2026 in Patna.

Organised by the Offset Printers Association (OPA), the Print Olympiad is a national initiative aimed at identifying, nurturing, and recognising young talent in printing and packaging technology. 

The competition provides students with a platform to benchmark their technical knowledge, analytical ability, and industry awareness at a national level while strengthening the crucial bond between academia and industry. The conduct of the East Zone First Round marks another milestone in the journey of Print Olympiad 2026.