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The Greeting Card Association (GCA) celebrated excellence in greeting cards this evening at its 36th Annual Louie Awards Ceremony. The event took place at Las Vegas World Market Center, Building B, Floor 16, WorldView in Las Vegas. This year’s competition had an incredible response from card makers with over 900 total cards submitted across 53 categories. At the award ceremony, 38 unique companies were named winners, with many winning multiple awards.

The Louie Awards celebrate the pinnacle of creativity and craftsmanship in the greeting card industry, honoring the work most admired by publishers and designers.

“A huge congratulations to all this year’s winners and finalists! I’m so grateful we are able to celebrate members of our industry like this,” said Alyson O’Connor, Outgoing Chair of the Louie Award Committee and Owner of Rust Belt Love Paperie. “We couldn’t make any of this happen without the work of our incredible committee, and the judges who volunteered their time and expertise. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in bringing these awards to life!”

During the Louie Awards ceremony, two exceptional cards were honored with the highest award of the evening: the prestigious Cards of the Year recognition. Wolf & Wren Press earned Card of the Year in the $5.50 and Below category for their Sympathy card. UWP Luxe earned Card of the Year in the Above $5.50 category for their standout entry in Print and Production Excellence. These categories are sponsored by Leader Paper and Indigo Ink respectively.

This year also marked the return of the Judges Award for Excellence, last awarded in 2019. This distinguished honor is not given every year and cannot be submitted for. It is selected solely by the Blue Ribbon Panel to recognize a card that exemplifies outstanding creativity, craftsmanship, and emotional impact across all categories. The 2025 award was presented to Dear Beni for their Everyday Boxed Set, praised by the panel for its beautiful color, patterns, and uniqueness.

The inaugural Vickie Gimbelman Celebrating Women Louie Award was presented to Redback Cards. Named in memory of Designer Greetings co-founder Vickie Gimbelman, the award honors cards that thoughtfully capture the essence of womanhood through art and copy.

In addition to individual card accolades, several publishers and creatives were honored for their overall contributions. Pier Six Press received the Rising Star Award, celebrating emerging publishers in business for three years or less. Lindsey Yuriko Warriner of Warren Tales was named Writer of the Year for her exceptional copywriting. The Artist of the Year Award was presented to Gigi Rosado of Seedlings in recognition of her remarkable artistic talent.

Finally, GCA announced recipients of this year’s Maker of Note Awards, which recognize and elevate the diverse makers and publishers shaping the greeting card industry. To qualify, entrants must self-identify as a member of an underrepresented community and submit at least five entries across any award categories. Winners were selected based on the highest average score across all submitted entries.

Maker of Note Winners:

• Asian American/Pacific Islander Maker of Note: Lindsy Liu, Happy Little Paper Co
• Black Maker of Note: Ama Schulman, All Very Goods
• Latinx Maker of Note: Christy Asper, Paper Baristas
• LGBTQIA+ Maker of Note: Kate Woolley, The Noble Paperie

Those attending *Noted: The Greeting Card Expo, July 27–30 at Las Vegas World Market Center can view all the Louie finalists and winners in a display created by Universal Presentation Concepts. Consumers vote for their favorite card as part of the Louie Consumer’s Choice Award now through Sept. 15, 2025. Winners of that public competition will be announced in October at the Greeting Card Conference and celebrated at next year’s award ceremony.

36th Annual Louie Award Winners:

• Artist of the Year: Gigi Rosado, Seedlings
• Birthday – General – $5.50 and Below: The Art File distributed by Notes & Queries
• Birthday – General – Above $5.50: Seedlings
• Birthday – Humorous – $5.50 and below: Redback Cards
• Birthday – Humorous – Above $5.50: UWP Luxe
• Birthday – Small Company: Fine Moments
• Blank Card – $5.50 and Below: Up With Paper
• Blank Card – Above $5.50: Inklings Paperie
• Celebrating AAPI Culture: Happy Little Paper Co
• Celebrating Black Culture: Some of Us Note Cards, LLC/Audrey Kerr
• Celebrating Indigenous Culture: Eighth Generation
• Celebrating Latinx Culture: Lucy Loves Paper
• Celebrating LGBTQIA+: Quick Brown Fox Letterpress
• Celebrating Women: Redback Cards
• Children’s Card – $5.50 and Below:Ohh Deer
• Children’s Card – Above $5.50: Inklings Paperie
• Christmas/Seasonal – Boxed Set: 1canoe2
• Christmas/Seasonal – General – $5.50 and Below: Up With Paper
• Christmas/Seasonal – General – Above $5.50: UWP Luxe
• Christmas/Seasonal – Humorous: The Noble Paperie
• Congratulations/Special Occasion – $5.50 and Below: Baby Buddha Studio
• Congratulations/Special Occasion – Above $5.50: Up With Paper
• Everyday Boxed Set – All Submissions: Dear Beni
• Father’s Day – $5.50 and Below: Naomi Paper Co.
• Father’s Day – Above $5.50: Maginating & Jared Chapman
• Friendship/Encouragement – General – $5.50 and Below: On the Bright Side
• Friendship/Encouragement – General – Above $5.50: UWP Luxe
• Friendship/Encouragement – Humorous – $5.50 and Below: Wild Child Brand
• Friendship/Encouragement – Humorous – Above $5.50: UWP Luxe
• Get Well / Feel Better – $5.50 and Below: Avanti Press, Inc.
• Get Well / Feel Better – Above $5.50: Bromstad Printing Co.
• Global Greetings: Paper Baristas
• Halloween: Paper Baristas
• Invitations & Announcements: Bella Figura
• Letterpress: Color Box Design Letterpress
• Mother’s Day – $5.50 and Below: Paper Baristas
• Mother’s Day – Above $5.50: 2021 Co.
• Non-Religious Celebrations: Amicreative
• Paper Engineering and Innovation: Santoro
• Print and Production Excellence: UWP Luxe
• Religious Celebrations: Rust Belt Love Paperie
• Rising Star: Pier Six Press
• Romantic Occasions – $5.50 and Below: Darling Lemon
• Romantic Occasions – Above $5.50: Kwohtations
• Superbly Stated: Mirthos Paper
• Sympathy – $5.50 and Below: Wolf & Wren Press
• Sympathy – Above $5.50: Kwohtations
• Thank You – $5.50 and Below: Mifkins
• Thank You – Above $5.50: Color Box Design Letterpress
• Trends & Events: On the Bright Side
• Valentine’s Day – $5.50 and Below: Designer Greetings
• Valentine’s Day – Above $5.50: Inklings Paperie
• Writer of the Year: Lindsey Yuriko Warriner, Warren Tales