News

October 25, 2010
LOUIE Awards Undergo ‘Makeover’

The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has announced the planned changes to the LOUIE AWARDS program undertaken as part of a Strategic Initiative within the association to modernize the awards program and accurately reflect the role of greeting cards in today’s society.

Earlier this year a committee of industry veterans began meeting to review the purpose of the Awards and shape a new vision for the future. Led by Strategic Chair Andy Meehan and supported by Patti Stracher, Chip Owen and John Mavrakis, prominent members of the greeting card industry, the group carefully reviewed the past LOUIE program.

Knowing that the Awards celebrate a category of consumer products that carries with it over 100 years of history, and that cards are used by almost every American household, (around 7 billion cards per year) the Committee evaluated the original purpose of the LOUIE Awards, the changing landscape of communication and the artistry and creativity that is involved in the production of greeting cards, to arrive at a new vision and mission statement for the LOUIE Awards:

“The LOUIES celebrate the art, editorial and design of greeting cards and reinforce the relevance of creating, sending and receiving greeting cards.”

Key changes in the LOUIE Awards Program for the coming years include the greater involvement of retailer judges, a streamlining of the awards categories, consumer outreach and greater PR attention (both trade and consumer press.) This will all culminate at the National Stationery Show in New York City (May 15-18, 2011) with a new prominent display of LOUIE nominees at the show, and at the prestigious LOUIE Awards ceremony on May 16 where the winners are celebrated and recognized.

Based on the refined vision for the Awards, the committee has selected the theme for the 2011 Awards as CONNECTION – it’s in the Cards. This theme highlights the history of greeting card use and also corresponds to today’s ‘connected’ society where, despite the prominence of the digital age, the category is vibrant and strong.

The submission process for the 2011 LOUIE Awards will begin with a “call for Entries” on Nov. 1, where any commercially manufactured card in the current calendar year can be entered for consideration in approximately 50 different categories.

Judging will take place in New York between Jan. 29- Feb. 4 at a time to be decided, with key industry executives ranking each card independently on a 10 point system across the LOUIE judging criteria of Imagination, Impact, Artistry, Harmony, Sendability and Value. After the scores are tabulated, the three nominees for each category are made public, with the actual scores and the winning entry for each category announced at the presentation ceremony at the National Stationery Show May 16.

More details will be posted on Nov. 1 at www.greetingcard.org.

 




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