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The Greeting Card Association (GCA) celebrated excellence in greeting cards at its 37th Annual Louie Awards Ceremony. The event took place Aug. 17 at the Seelbach in Louisville, Kentucky. This year’s competition brought together over 1,000 submissions from 185 stationery brands.

Judging took place at eight hubs across the country, where 78 industry experts ranging from retail buyers to veteran publishers evaluated each card for quality and craftsmanship. From that extensive pool, 168 finalists were selected across 56 categories, showcasing the remarkable talent of 39 standout companies.

The Louie Awards celebrate the pure creativity and hard work driving our stationery community forward, honoring the exact designs that publishers and artists admire most. This year’s winners really raised the bar. Their cards stand out for their exceptional design and innovative spirit, proving that the craft behind greeting card design is stronger and more thoughtful than ever.

The ultimate highlights of the evening came with the presentation of the prestigious Card of the Year honors, celebrating the absolute best designs in the competition:

• Card of the Year Below $5.50 – New Baby: Honeyberry Studios
• Card of the Year Above $5.50 – Sympathy: Seedlings

“Congratulations to all of this year’s Louie Award winners and finalists!” said Michele Byrne, founder of paper&stuff and the Louie Committee Chair. “With over 1,000 entries from 185 companies, this year’s awards reflect the incredible creativity and talent within our industry. Each entry is a reminder of the role greeting cards play in helping people celebrate, connect, offer comfort, and feel understood. I’m so grateful to our committee, judges, sponsors, associates, and everyone who helped bring the 37th Louie Awards to life, and I hope every winner feels deeply proud of this achievement.”

Beyond the individual card categories, the evening also celebrated the incredible people and publishers driving our industry forward with several major honors. The Rising Star Award, which spotlights outstanding emerging publishers in business for three years or less, went to Barone & Co. When it came to individual creative talents, E. Frances Paper took home the Writer of the Year award for exceptional copywriting and storytelling. To round out the major honors, the coveted Artist of the Year award was presented to Sister Paper Co. in recognition of their remarkable artistic talent and design vision.

The Maker of Note Awards are all about spotlighting and lifting up the incredibly diverse creators and publishers who bring fresh energy and perspective to the greeting card industry. These annual awards highlight incredible publishers and designers from underrepresented communities within our industry. Each maker submitted five of their very best designs, and this year’s recipients were selected based on the highest average scores from our panel of judges.

2026 Maker of Note Winners:

• Asian American/Pacific Islander Maker of Note: Yuko Miki, Honeyberry Studios
• Black Maker of Note: Kristal Bell, KANDS.CO
• Latinx Maker of Note: Mackenzie + Esteban Raposo, Golden Peach Greetings
• LGBTQIA+ Maker of Note: Lindsey Warriner, Warren Tales

37th Annual Louie Award Winners:

 

Artist of the Year   Sister Paper Co.   Birthday – General – $5.50 and Below   Biely & Shoaf Collection    Birthday – General – Above $5.50   Up With Paper    Birthday – Humorous – $5.50 and Below   Stoats & Weasels   Birthday – Humorous – Above $5.50   UWP Luxe    Birthday – Small Company   Kwohtations    Blank Card – $5.50 and Below   Darling Lemon   Blank Card – Above $5.50   UWP Luxe    Celebrating AAPI Culture   Liyana Studio    Celebrating Black Culture   AfroTouch Design    Celebrating Latinx Culture   Talking Out of Turn   Celebrating LGBTQIA+   Yardia    Celebrating Women   Sister Paper Co.    Children’s Card – $5.50 and Below   KANDS.CO    Children’s Card – Above $5.50   Maginating    Christmas/Seasonal – Boxed Set   FreshCut Paper    Christmas/Seasonal – General – $5.50 and Below   Naomi Paper Co.   Christmas/Seasonal – General – Above $5.50   Up With Paper   Christmas/Seasonal – Humorous   Bromstad Printing Co.    Christmas/Seasonal – Small Company   Golden Peach Design Co    Congratulations/Special Occasion – $5.50 and Below   Paper Salad    Congratulations/Special Occasion – Above $5.50   M.C. Pressure    Everyday Boxed Set – All Submissions   UWP Luxe   Father’s Day – $5.50 and Below   Liyana Studio   Father’s Day – Above $5.50   Up With Paper   Friendship/Just Because – General – $5.50 and Below   Halfpenny Postage    Friendship/Just Because – General – Above $5.50   Mythical Matters   Friendship/Just Because – Humorous – $5.50 and Below   Starfangled Press    Friendship/Just Because – Humorous – Above $5.50   Bromstad Printing Co.    Get Well / Encouragement – $5.50 and Below   Halfpenny Postage   Get Well / Encouragement – Above $5.50   Barone & Co.    Global Greetings   Shorthand Press    Halloween – $5.50 and Below   Notes & Queries    Halloween – Above $5.50   Maginating    Invitations & Announcements   Alpine Creative Group    Letterpress   Rust Belt Love Paperie    Mother’s Day – $5.50 and Below   Wolf & Wren Press   Mother’s Day – Above $5.50   Bromstad Printing Co.    New Baby – $5.50 and Below   Honeyberry Studios    New Baby – Above $5.50   UWP Luxe   Non-Religious Celebrations – $5.50 and Below   Artists to Watch    Non-Religious Celebrations – Above $5.50   Barone & Co.   Print, Production, & Paper Engineering   UWP Luxe   Religious Celebrations – $5.50 and Below   Queen Fayzel    Religious Celebrations – Above $5.50   Heartell Press   Rising Star   Barone & Co.   Romantic Occasions – $5.50 and Below   On the Bright Side    Romantic Occasions – Above $5.50   Kwohtations    Superbly Stated   Barone & Co.    Sympathy/Grief – $5.50 and Below   On the Bright Side    Sympathy/Grief – Above $5.50   Seedlings    Thank You – $5.50 and Below   Kim Dettmer Art   Thank You – Above $5.50   Color Box Letterpress    Wedding/Engagement – $5.50 and Below   Fine Moments    Wedding/Engagement – Above $5.50   Color Box Letterpress    Writer of the Year   E Frances Paper