Two apprentices from web-offset printers were among runners-up in this year's Heidelberg NSW LIA graduate awards.

Jake Tompsett of PMP/IPMG unit Offset Alpine and Adrian Xuereb of Ive Group's Blue Star were among short-listed apprentices, with Dominic Holgate (Look Printing) and Shane Ippaviz (Integrated Packaging).

The prize went to Laura Burgett of Spatial Services.

She is now a contender for the biannual LIA-Heidelberg national graduate award, which includes a $15,000 travel and education prize. Her Certificate III in Print Communications was recently added to a range of skills which includes 3D modelling.

The presentations were made at an event at Lidcombe's Carnarvon Golf Club, Lidcombe, where speakers included Printing Industries' Andrew Macaulay, Richard Timson of Heidelberg, Mitch Mulligan of Visual Connections, and keynote speaker Professor Paul Dastoor, creator of the "solar ink" which will be a feature of next week's PacPrint trade show in Melbourne.