Mansfield woman Grace Stenson received a top award at the European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA) Awards.

Grace, currently completing her first-year apprenticeship in sales and marketing at the Smurfit Kappa Markham Vale plant, won the student of the year accolade.

The EFIA Awards celebrate technical innovation and creativity in flexographic printing.

“I would like to thank the entire Markham Vale team for their welcome and the ongoing support during my apprenticeship, especially during this challenging time.

“Joining Smurfit Kappa has given my career an exciting start and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work with a variety of customers and brands across several market segments.”

Smurfit Kappa, a FTSE 100 company, is one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging solutions in the world with operations across the UK.

It won 18 awards at the EFIA Awards, including for creative and innovative packaging solutions for brands including Stella Artois, Head & Shoulders, Hendricks Gin, Huggies and Haribo.

Commenting on the company’s success at the awards this year, Eddie Fellows, chief executive of Smurfit Kappa UK and Ireland, said: “Winning so many awards across the various categories this year demonstrates the huge effort across our talented teams and something we’re all very proud of.

“At Smurfit Kappa, we are constantly innovating our print techniques to support our customers by increasing their visual presence and improving sales performance.

“We will continue to invest in the next generation of skilled printers and push the boundaries in print, design and sustainability.”