‘Wrap Like a King’ Crown Again Up for Grabs

*THE SHOP and its sister publication, Sign & Digital Graphics, teamed up for exclusive wraps coverage in our upcoming July issue. Be sure to check it out!

Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions has opened its annual Wrap Like A King Challenge for worldwide vehicle wrap submissions. The competition, active through Aug. 30, will again include Regional Wrap Kings, Continental Wrap Kings and the crowning of the King of the Wrap World.

Wrap installers from 53 countries across the world are invited to submit commercial, full print or color change wrap projects to be judged for the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes. The prize packages for 2019 are worth a combined total of over $30,000. More than 200 installers entered the challenge last year.

“We’ve been expanding the Wrap Like A King Challenge to new regions across the globe over the past two years, with the newest addition of South Africa for this year’s competition. We’re also introducing the ‘People’s Choice Award’ which allows the public to vote for their favorite project. This new award will provide additional and well-deserved recognition for our valued customers,” said Bill Podojil, vice president, Graphics Solutions North America. “We’re astonished at the level of creativity and talent with each passing year, and we anticipate the submissions for the 2019 challenge to surpass our expectations.”

Participating nations make up 13 geographic regions across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and South Africa. Wrap installers in these regions will submit projects featuring Avery Dennison Supreme Wrapping Film, the Conform Chrome series, the ColorFlow Series, MPI 1105 Supercast Digital film, or a combination of car wrap films to be evaluated against their regional peers by a panel of judges.

The 13 Regional Wrap Kings will win nearly $2,000 worth of personalized marketing materials, Avery Dennison product, and SEMA passes. They will then go on to battle for royalty on their continents: North America, Europe, North Asia and Australia/New Zealand. The overall winner will be chosen by the judges as the best in show and crowned the King of the Wrap World at the Nov. 5-8 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Industry experts from around the globe will use their wealth of experience to narrow the field, picking the most beautiful, technically challenging or most impressive wraps to move on in each round of the challenge.

The Wrap Like A King judging panel includes:

• Justin Pate, The Wrap Institute, Global-Pate is an Avery Dennison-certified installer/instructor in the U.S. with more than 20 years of experience. He leads the Avery Dennison North America hands-on car wrap workshop and certification program and is co-owner of The Wrap Institute.
• Myles Kovacs, DUB Magazine-Kovacs is the president and co-founder of DUB Magazine, a U.S.-based magazine that focuses on the urban custom car culture and celebrities and their vehicles. He has been in the auto industry for 25 years.
• Yianni Charalambous, Yiannimize (United Kingdom)-Charalambous is the owner of Yiannimize, a wrap shop in London catering to celebrities and high-end clientele. He has a large social following, with more than 1.3 million YouTube subscribers.
• Eddy Speelman, Speelman Graphic Applications (Europe)-Speelman is the owner of Speelman Graphic Applications and has been an Avery Dennison trainer for 15 years. He has been part of the wrapping industry for decades, and he specializes in color change applications, paint protection and window tinting.
• Molly Waters, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions-Waters is a senior technical specialist in North America with over 19 years of industry experience. She often travels all over the country visiting sign and wrap shops and talking with customers about the car wrap industry. She also frequently contributes to the Avery Dennison blog.
• Peter Wright – Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions (Australia/New Zealand)-Wright is a technical marketing manager and works with the ‘industry’s leading installers, teaching vehicle wrapping workshops and promoting the industry. With strong expertise in leading vehicle wrapping workshops, he has trained more than 2,000 people from Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN countries.
• Sarel Krüger, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions (South Africa)-Krüger joined the Avery team in 2011 after working in the signage industry for nearly 10 years. His experience ranges from equipment and software, to the manufacturing of signage and graphics, vehicle wrapping and, ultimately, the supplying of material.
• Frank Marquart, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions (Europe)-Marquart is a technical marketing manager, digital print media, in Europe and actively participates in product development and relationship management with printer OEMs.

The four continent winners will receive a four-night stay in Las Vegas for the 2019 SEMA Show, where the “King of the Wrap World” will be announced. The $3,200 prize pack for continent winners also includes personalized Wrap Like A King swag, $500 in gift vouchers, a Race Ramp product and a variety of promotional and marketing tools for the winner’s wrap shop, according to Avery Dennison.

The King of the Wrap World grand prize package is worth almost $5,000, with additional gift vouchers and exposure via the Avery Dennison website and web advertisements, according to the company.

Car wrap installers are encouraged to enter a vehicle wrap project using Avery Dennison Supreme Wrapping Film or digital Supercast films online at wraplikeaking.com. Official rules, judge bios and prize information are also posted on the site.