The Idealliance and Printing Industries Alliance Foundations have announced that the 2018 Franklin Luminaire Committee has selected Benny Landa, inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and “Father of Commercial Digital Printing,” as the recipient of the 2018 Franklin Award for Distinguished Service — the highest honor given to an individual by the graphic communications community.

The coveted award has been presented for over 60 years to renowned leaders in the military, politics, business, journalism and communications for their outstanding achievements and contributions to American society. The award, named for Benjamin Franklin, a printer by trade, will be presented to Landa at the annual Franklin Luminaire Awards on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 (5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.) at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York City. The gala is jointly presented by the Print Drives America Foundation and the Idealliance Foundation.

Event sponsorships are available and are offered at early bird rates through August 31.

A pioneer of digital printing at Indigo, Landa continued his visionary pathway as founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of the Landa Group—pioneering futuristic nanotechnology applications in the fields of imaging, energy and health. His vision for the future also includes investment in promising Israeli technologies and philanthropic activities that enable underprivileged youth to gain access to higher education. Landa has a portfolio of over 800 patents worldwide. A recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the imaging industry’s prestigious Edwin H. Land medal, he has also received numerous lifetime achievement awards and honorary doctorates.

“We are delighted to salute Mr. Landa with this prestigious honor and acknowledge his achievements in front of more than 300 prominent CEOs and senior executives from the printing, publishing, digital, advertising, and graphic communications community,” says Franklin Luminaire Committee co-chair Steve Drew, sales executive-Magazine Group at LSC Communications. “The exciting evening carries on a long-standing tradition of offering close networking opportunities with new and potential clients, building professional relationships, and most importantly, developing our industry.”

Franklin Luminaire Committee co-chair Meghan Milkowski, vice president of business operations-Print Group at Dow Jones, agrees. “Our Committee members are working diligently to make the program a spectacular gala which no one will want to miss. This is now the most prestigious awards program in what is arguably the most important visual communications market in the world.”

In past years, the Franklin Award for Distinguished Service has been presented to nationally known luminaries that include several United States Presidents, New York State Governors George Pataki and Mario Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as notables such as Martha Stewart, Norman Rockwell, Armen Keteyian, and Walter Cronkite.