Greeting Card Association Announces 27th LOUIE Awards Winners

Consumers Can Vote for Their Favorites During 3rd Annual Consumer’s Choice Contest

NEW YORK--()--The Greeting Card Association (GCA) announced the winners of its 27th International Greeting Card Awards Competition, the “LOUIE Awards” at a gala event during the National Stationery Show® (NSS) here last night.

Among the winners in the 59 categories, including the new LGBTQ category, top honors for “Cards of the Year” went to Sunrise (in the $4 and below category) and Ladyfingers Letterpress (in the $4 and above category).

“The quality, artistry, and ingenuity of this year’s LOUIE Award winners lived up to our theme, ‘The Roaring LOUIE’s,’ and demonstrates the vibrancy of the $8 billion greeting card and social expression industry,” said 27th LOUIE Awards Chair Tina Benavides and vice president, Core Cards, Creative Division, American Greetings. “There’s simply no substitute for a paper card, one that you can hold in your hand or display at your home or office,” she said.

More than 200 companies throughout the world submitted 1,100 entries for the GCA’s LOUIE Awards, the definitive competition for the greeting card and social expression industry. All entries were marketed and sold in the U.S. in 2014; winners and finalists are on display through May 20, in the Crystal Palace at the Jacob Javits Center.

Launched in 1988, as the International Greeting Card Awards, the “LOUIEs” are named after Louis Prang, the German-born Boston lithographer and publisher, who often is referred to as the “Father of the American Christmas Card.” A Blue Ribbon Panel of six judges selected two “Cards of the Year” from among all categories. A panel of industry experts judged all entries against five criteria: originality, impact, design excellence, “sendability,” and value; all identifying information about the submitting company was withdrawn from the entries.

The LOUIEs celebrate the art, editorial, and design of greeting cards, invitations, and announcements and reinforce the relevance of sending and receiving them in today’s digital world. Americans buy 6.5 billion greeting cards each year and consumers can vote on their favorites by “liking” them during the Consumer’s Choice competition at www.facebook.com/LOUIEAwards until June 1; winners will be announced in June.

Sponsors of this year’s LOUIE Awards include: American Greetings, Designer Greetings, Hallmark, NSS, Universal Presentation Concepts, Avanti, Neenah, Bobst and Madison Park Group. Several companies provided in-kind donations such as materials for the LOUIE Awards call for entries, invitations, gala décor and other items. Thanks to in-kind supporters including the following companies: American Greetings, Appleton Coated, BrightMARKS, Exclusive Bordering, Fine Impressions, Infinity Foils, J.S. McCarthy Printers, Leader Paper Products, Neenah Paper, Universal Engraving, Inc., and Universal Presentation Concepts.

The Greeting Card Association is the U.S. trade association serving the greeting card and social expression industry. Founded in 1941, the GCA represents nearly 200 American and international publishers from businesses ranging from start-ups to established companies of all sizes, scopes and industry tenure -- as well as suppliers that provide production services and wholesale product distribution. All LOUIE winners can be viewed on the GCA website at www.greetingcard.org or visit https://instagram.com/louieawards/.

Listed below, by category and price point, are the 27th LOUIE Award Winners:

Category   Price Point   Company Winner
Birthday (General) $4.00 and Below Sunrise
Birthday (General) Above $4.00 Good Paper
Birthday (Humorous) $4.00 and Below Design Design, Inc.
Birthday (Humorous) Above $4.00 Paper Bandit Press
Blank Card $4.00 and Below Sunrise
Blank Card Above $4.00 Quilling Card
Children’s Card $4.00 and Below Madison Park Greetings
Children’s Card Above $4.00 Hallmark Cards
Congratulations/Special Occasion $4.00 and Below Sunrise
Congratulations/Special Occasion Above $4.00 Ladyfingers Letterpress
Friendship/Encouragement (General) $4.00 and Below Easy, Tiger
Friendship/Encouragement (General) Above $4.00 Elum
Friendship/Encouragement (Humorous) $4.00 and Below Compendium
Friendship/Encouragement (Humorous) Above $4.00 Elum
Get Well/Feel Better $4.00 and Below American Greetings
Get Well/Feel Better Above $4.00 Paper Pop Cards
LGBTQ $4.00 and Below Great Arrow Graphics
LGBTQ Above $4.00 Ladyfingers Letterpress
Romantic Occasions $4.00 and Below PaperFreckles
Romantic Occasions Above $4.00 laLa Grace
Sympathy $4.00 and Below Hallmark Cards
Sympathy | Above $4.00 Above $4.00 Anemone Letterpress
Thank You | $4.00 and Below $4.00 and Below Hallmark Cards
Thank You | Above $4.00 Above $4.00 Good Paper
Christmas/Seasonal (General) $4.00 and Below Gift Card Impressions, LLC
Christmas/Seasonal (General) Above $4.00 Paper Pop Cards
Christmas/Seasonal (Humorous) $4.00 and Below Hallmark Cards
Christmas/Seasonal (Humorous) Above $4.00 Read Between The Lines
Father's Day $4.00 and Below Maginating
Father's Day Above $4.00 Emily McDowell Studio
Halloween $4.00 and Below Sunrise
Halloween Above $4.00 Avanti Press, Inc.
Mother's Day $4.00 and Below Madison Park Greetings
Mother's Day Above $4.00 Emily McDowell Studio
Religious Celebrations $4.00 and Below Great Arrow Graphics
Religious Celebrations Above $4.00 Ladyfingers Letterpress
Valentine's Day $4.00 and Below Sunrise
Valentine's Day Above $4.00 Emily McDowell Studio
Christmas/Seasonal (Boxed Set) $2.00 and Below Hallmark Cards
Christmas/Seasonal (Boxed Set) Above $2.00 Mary Beth Cryan
Everyday Boxed Set $2.50 and Below Galison
Everyday Boxed Set Above $2.50 Moglea
Letterpress   Ladyfingers Letterpress
Most Humorous   Hallmark Cards
Print and Production Excellence   Ladyfingers Letterpress
Rising Star $4.00 and Below Easy, Tiger
Rising Star Above $4.00 Paper Bandit Press
Superbly Stated   Sunrise
Announcements and Photo Cards $4.00 and Below Pear Tree Greetings
Announcements and Photo Cards Above $4.00 Shindig Bespoke
Baby $4.00 and Below Avanti Press, Inc.
Baby Above $4.00 Paula & Waffle
General Invitations $4.00 and Below Noteworthy Paper & Press
General Invitations Above $4.00 Noteworthy Paper & Press
Deluxe Wedding Invitation Suite Classic Printed Minted
Deluxe Wedding Invitation Suite Modern Printed Suite Paperie, Inc.
Standard Wedding Invitation Suite Classic Printed Bella Figura
Standard Wedding Invitation Suite Modern Printed Suite Paperie, Inc.
Card of the Year $4.00 and Below   Sunrise
Card of the Year Above $4   Ladyfingers Letterpress

Contacts

For the GCA
Naomi Gitlin, 773.929.1000
ngitlin@ngitlin.com

Contacts

For the GCA
Naomi Gitlin, 773.929.1000
ngitlin@ngitlin.com