May 20, 2013

Greeting Card Association Announces 25th Anniversary LOUIE Award Winners

The Greeting Card Association (GCA) honored the 25th Anniversary LOUIE Award finalists and winners in 52 different categories, as well as the first-ever recipients of a LOUIE Award for Lifetime Achievement, at an elegant gala at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York City last night.

The special Silver Anniversary celebration was attended by more than 300 guests, including finalist companies, industry retailers, manufacturers’ representatives and suppliers, as well members of the press. This year’s theme, The Artist & The Card, which celebrated the artists behind the cards, and the simple yet broad medium of paper, was reflected in numerous ways at the event, from an intricate cutout paper entryway that guests walked through on their way into the venue, to a gallery of hanging frames showcasing all the finalist cards, to exquisite table decor.

A noteworthy reflection of the theme — and a high point of the evening — was the presentation by GCA President Susan January of LOUIE Awards for Lifetime Achievement to two of the industry’s most high-profile and prolific artists: Marjolein Bastin and Mary Englebreit. “We wanted to recognize these two amazing women and express to them in a significant and special way our gratitude for their creative spirit and talent and the impact they’ve had on our industry,” said January. Both Bastin, who hails from the Netherlands, and Engelbreit, a native of St. Louis, were in attendance, accompanied by family and friends.

Winners of the 52 categories were chosen by a panel of 19 judges — comprised of prominent industry retailers, educators, editors and designers — during two full days of judging, which took place January 29 and 30, 2013, during the New York International Gift Fair®, also in New York City. From that pool of winners, a special Blue

Ribbon panel of five judges selected the Cards of the Year. All entries were judged on originality, impact, design excellence, sendability and value.

The winner of Card of the Year in the Above $3.50 category was Maginating’s “Good As Gold” card, which also won in the Friendship/Encouragement (General) category, while Oh My Word’s “Holy Sheet” was named Card of the Year $3.50 & Below, after taking home the LOUIE in Non-Religious Celebrations. This is the second consecutive Card of the Year win for Maginating, and the first for Oh My Word. Monika Brandrup-Thomas, Chair of the 25th Anniversary LOUIE Awards and Vice President & Creative Director of Up With Paper, LLC, said “the judges were impressed, in particular, with the craftsmanship of the letterpress and gold foil on Maginating’s card, in addition to its heartwarming message. And they loved the clever die-cut design and creativity of Oh My Word’s entry. Both cards are fun to look at and make you smile!”

This year a record-breaking 220 companies worldwide submitted a combined total of more than 1,000 entries, all of which were marketed and sold in the United States during the 2012 calendar year.

The complete list of winners is as follows:

Announcements & Photo Cards
Pear Tree Greetings

Birthday (Humorous)—Above $3.50
Smitten Kitten

Birthday (Humorous)—$3.50 & Below
Madison Park Greetings

Birthday (General)—Above $3.50
Quillingcard, LLC

Birthday (General)—$3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

Blank Card—Above $3.50
1canoe2 Letterpress

Blank Card—$3.50 & Below
Designer Greetings

Congratulations/Special Occasion—Above $3.50
Gakken–Ginko Papers

Congratulations/Special Occasion—$3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

Children’s Card—Above $3.50
American Greetings

Children’s Card—$3.50 & Below
Calypso Cards, Inc.

Christmas/Seasonal (General)—Above $3.50
Rifle Paper Co.

Christmas/Seasonal (General)—$3.50 & Below
Madison Park Greetings

Christmas/Seasonal (Humorous)—Above $3.50
Smitten Kitten

Christmas/Seasonal (Humorous)—$3.50 & Below
Calypso Cards, Inc.

Christmas/Seasonal Boxed Notes—Above $2.00
Papel Couture

Christmas/Seasonal Boxed Notes—$2.00 & Below
Paper Magic Group

Everyday Boxed Notes—Above $2.50
Up With Paper, LLC

Everyday Boxed Notes—$2.50 & Below
1canoe2 Letterpress

Family Celebrations—Above $3.50
Sugarcube Press

Family Celebrations—$3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

Friendship/Encouragement (General)—Above $3.50
Maginating

Friendship/Encouragement (General)—$3.50 & Below
Marian Heath Greeting Cards, LLC

Friendship/Encouragement (Humorous)—Above$3.50
Smitten Kitten

Friendship/Encouragement (Humorous)—3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

General Invitations—Above $3.50
Luscious Verde

General Invitations—$3.50 & Below
Checkerboard Ltd.

Get Well/Feel Better—Above $3.50
Paper Magic Group

Get Well/Feel Better—$3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

Humorous—Most Humorous
Sapling Press

Letterpress
Maginating

Mother’s Day—Above $3.50
Sugarcube Press

Mother’s Day—$3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

Non-Religious Celebrations—Above $3.50
Sky of Blue Cards

Non-Religious Celebrations—$3.50 & Below
Oh My Word

Print & Production Excellence
Ladyfingers Letterpress

Religious Celebrations—Above $3.50
Elum

Religious Celebrations—$3.50 & Below
Calypso Cards, Inc.

Rising Star—Above $3.50
9th Letter Press

Rising Star—$3.50 & Below
Dodeline Design

Romantic Occasions—Above $3.50
Smock

Romantic Occasions—$3.50 & Below
Madison Park Greetings

Superbly Stated
Sycamore Street Press

Sympathy—Above $3.50
1canoe2 Letterpress

Sympathy—$3.50 & Below
Madison Park Greetings

Thank You—Above $3.50
Hello!Lucky

Thank You—$3.50 & Below
J-Dig Cards

alentine’s Day—Above $3.50
Plane Paper

Valentine’s Day—$3.50 & Below
Compendium, Inc.

Wedding Invitations—Above $10.00
Elum

Wedding Invitations—Between $3.50 & $10.00
Plum Blossom Press

Wedding Invitations—$3.50 & Below
Wedding Paper Divas

Again this year, the LOUIE Awards is inviting consumers to choose their favorite card from among all the category winners announced last night, by logging on to the LOUIE Awards Facebook page between May 20 and May 31, 2013, and “liking” the card they think is the best. Last year marked the first Consumer’s Choice LOUIE Award competition; the winner, Sunrise Greetings, received its LOUIE during last night’s ceremony.

In addition to a personalized award, the finalists and winners are showcased in a special LOUIE Awards exhibit designed by Universal Presentation Concepts (UPC), which will be on view to the public in the Crystal Palace Lobby of the Jacob K. Javits Center during the National Stationery Show, May 19–22.

This year 12 companies generously sponsored the LOUIE Awards at the following levels: Platinum—American Greetings Corporation, Hallmark Cards, Inc., the National Stationery Show; Gold—JAST Company, Ltd.; Silver—Avanti Press, Inc., Designer Greetings, Infinity Foils, Inc., The Madison Park Group, Neenah Paper, Universal Engraving, Inc.; Category Champion—Bobst North America, Inc., Marian Heath Greeting Cards. The financial support from these organizations, as well as the in-kind donations from many others, are critical to ensuring the ongoing success of the LOUIE Awards.

To learn more about the LOUIE Awards, please visit www.greetingcard.org. To vote in the second-annual Consumer’s Choice LOUIE Award competition, go tohttps://www.facebook.com/LOUIEAwards.