Island-based Ashgrove Marketing has made a date with success.

The Tromode company was a multiple award winner in the Calendar Marketing Association’s annual international award programme, picking up five gold awards and one silver.

A celebration of the artistic and technical talents of calendar publishers around the world, the awards programme is now in its 31st year.

Ashgrove, which creates calendars for some of the biggest brand names in the US, has been a multiple winner for the past six years.

The 2020 awards include golds at both world and national level in the Best Classical Art category for Ashgrove’s Peters Collectible poster calendar which features vintage 1930s-style illustrations. A gold national award was also received for best scenic/other photography for its poster calendar for Axalta (formerly Dupont Coatings), containing 12 photographs of custom-painted American classic cars.

A further gold national award and silver world award was picked up in the Best Classical Art category for the Remington Wildlife Calendar with its dramatic countryside imagery and a gold national award for Most Original for its Remington Custom Shop wall calendar.

Ashgrove’s Terry van Rhyn said: ‘In the US, calendars are highly valued by companies that have big dealer or agent networks as a way of building brand awareness.

‘Over time some of these calendars have become particularly well recognised for their artistry and design, and have become collector’s items in their own right, including some of those that we produce.

‘The creative work for Ashgrove’s calendars is all developed here in the Isle of Man and, once the artwork has been agreed, production is handed over to our US operations in Michigan.

‘Our US counterparts then take care of the order processing and customer service in conjunction with our print operation partner in Minnesota. Nearly ten million of our calendars are distributed countrywide every year, which is no mean feat and demonstrates their enduring popularity across the American market.

‘As a consistent winner in these awards, we sometimes don’t shout about them as much as we should but it is important to celebrate our success and give thanks to those who created the magic that set us apart.

‘To participate on a world stage from our island is a very special feeling and we are proud to fly our flag very high.’