Dec 4, 2013

Greeting Card Association’s Louie Awards Call For Entries Now Open

Submissions for the Greeting Card Association’s 26th Annual LOUIE Awards – the Oscars of the stationery industry – are being accepted now through December 16, 2013. Officially known as the International Greeting Card Awards Competition, the prestigious LOUIEs recognize the most outstanding greeting cards, invitations, and announcements marketed in the U.S. during the previous calendar year.

The 26th LOUIE Awards will feature a total of 29 categories – including awards for everyday and seasonal occasions, card sets, invitations, and personalized cards, as well as special categories such as Print & Production Excellence, Rising Star, Superbly Stated, Most Humorous, and Letterpress. Most categories will be divided into two price breaks: Above $3.50, and $3.50 & Below. New this year are two wedding-invitation categories, one for smaller and one for larger-sized suites; these categories are separated by printing method rather than by price break. For complete competition details and to enter online, go to www.greetingcard.org or click here.

This year’s LOUIE theme, “Eye Candy: The Best Cards of the Year,” was designed by LOUIE Awards Chair Cambria Evans, creative director/founder of J.Bartyn Design, and overseen by LOUIE Strategic Chair Katy Greenspan, director of the artist community at Minted. “This year’s playful candy theme emphasizes how sweet it is to send greeting cards, invitations, or announcements,” says Evans. The colorful theme will be reflected on everything from the LOUIE Call for Entries to the décor of the LOUIE evening gala in May.

Submissions will be blind-judged by a panel of industry experts on originality, impact, design excellence, sendability, and value, over a two-day period in early February, during the NY NOW gift show in New York City. Finalists in each category will be announced in March; and awards will be presented at the 26th Annual LOUIE Awards celebration on Sunday, May 18, 2014, during the National Stationery Show in New York City.

“As a signature program of the GCA, the LOUIE Awards have created a rich legacy of creative excellence,” says GCA President Steve Doyal, sr. v.p. of public affairs and communications at Hallmark Cards. “Every year, all companies in the industry – from well-established brands to emerging entrepreneurs – have the opportunity for their work to be recognized as among the best in the industry. The GCA invites all who are proud of their work to enter this year’s competition.”