GCA Names LOUIE Award Finalists
By Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 3/26/2008 12:44:00 PM
Washington, DC — The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has named the finalists of the 20th Annual International Greeting Card Awards competition, better known as the "LOUIEs”. The Awards recognize for the best greeting card and stationery products of the past year. Out of the more than 1,000 entries, a total of 193 made it to the final round of judging.
"Industry appreciation of the LOUIEs expands annually," said GCA President Steve Laserson of American Greetings Corporation, Cleveland, OH. “The companies named as LOUIE finalists clearly show the creativity and artistic talent that are evident in our industry’s products. Becoming a LOUIE finalist or winner often increases buyer recognition for the publisher, which in turn builds confidence in its creative ability."
Finalists are: à la cards; American Greetings; Andrews McMeel Publishing; Anna Griffin Inc.; Any Horrible Occasion; Artists to Watch; AVANTI Press; Bald Guy Greetings; Blue Finch Studios; Bonair Daydreams; Bubbles n’ Bows; bymichelleb; Candy Care; Cardthartic; Carlson Craft; Celebration; Cerebral Itch Inc.; Checkerboard; The Consortium; Cracked Designs; DaySpring Cards; Design Design; Designer Greetings Inc.; EMP Media/MooningDuck; Encore Studios; Essence in a Bucket; F.S. Press, distributed by Collage Greetings; Fliptomania; G-Squared; Gartner Studios; Gilah Press & Design; Goffengel Workshop; Great Arrow Graphics; Jumping Cracker Beans; KT Original; Lallie Inc.; LeClair Handcrafted Cards; Madison Park Greetings; Maggie’s Quill, Inc.; Mainio, Inc.; Marian Heath Greeting Cards LLC; ME Art and Design; Meri Meri; mjZOOM Inc.; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Natural Impressions; Nu-Art; Origami Paper Architecture (Brazil); Palm Press, Inc.; Paper House Productions; Paper Magic Group; The Paperdoll Company; PapersoPretty; Peaceable Kingdom Press; Pictura, Inc.; Regarding Life, LLC; Robin Beth Designs; Second Nature Ltd. (England); Sellers Publishing; Shannon Martin/Girl Designer, in partnership with Madison Park Greetings; Someday Designs; Stevie Streck Designs; Studio Expressio; Sunrise Greetings; The Three Maries, distributed by Collage Greetings; Tiara Designs; Truly Mom LLC; Up With Paper; Urban Daisy (Canada); Woo Designs, Inc. (Canada); and Wooster & Prince, in partnership with Madison Park Greetings.
The entries, in 63 different categories, were submitted from more than 150 publishing companies from all over the world. All entries were marketed and sold in the U.S. during 2007. Of this year’s group of entrants, 70 companies entered for the first-time, and approximately 25 percent of them are finalists.
Winners will be revealed at the 20th anniversary of the LOUIEs award program, on Monday, May 19, in New York City. The theme of this year’s awards program is “Cirque du LOUIE XX”, recognizing the behind-the-scenes creative talents of the industry’s designers, writers and illustrators.
Visit the GCA's web site for the complete list of the finalists by category and for information about the 20th Anniversary Awards program in New York City during the National Stationery Show.
