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In the spirit of their slogan, “Show Us!,” Messe Frankfurt and the German Association of Greetings Card Manufacturers and Publishers, Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Hersteller und Verleger von Glückwunschkarten (AVG), invite entries for the greeting card design competition. Within the sector, the competition is aimed at firing the imaginations of young talents and creative people in the greeting card market. For the 13th time, the platform for the competition will be provided by Paperworld.

Potential participants still have plenty of time before the submission deadline on Oct. 31 to draft some original ideas and approaches for greetings cards and try them out in practice.

Invitations are extended to the widest possible range of creative people. “This year too, we are inviting all creative talents in Germany and abroad to submit innovative ideas for the greeting card of the future,” said Matthias Hanfstingl, who is overseeing the design competition on behalf of the AVG.

Since the end of May, there has been a campaign of eye-catching posters and information cards distributed all over Europe to publicize the competition and encourage submissions. This year the competition will follow current trends for hand-lettering, whereby characters are drawn or painted.

“Our aim with the competition is to bring greeting cards more strongly into focus once again, and hence support the relevant market,” explained Hanfstingl. “Precisely at a time when all areas of life are being increasingly dominated by electronic media, the writing of greeting cards is enjoying a renaissance. A hand-written card catches the eye and represents individuality, an appreciation of value and the time that the sender has taken. These are all things that we want to get across to the younger generation.”

But what do these special greeting cards presently look like and what design opportunities does the modern world offer? That is precisely what the creative submissions will show the AVG. Interest in the competition continues unabated: “In the first year, we recorded 130 entries; by the 12 ideas,” reported Hanfstingl.

The assessment criteria will take into account the level of skill shown in crafting the card, the originality of the idea and the quality of the presentation. Moreover, the judges will pay particular attention to the lettering. In November, an independent panel of specialists will make an initial selection on the basis of these criteria. At the forthcoming Paperworld, the ten best ideas chosen in this way will be presented for the show’s trade and professional visitors in the “Café Card” in Hall 5.1.

All ten nominated artists will be welcome to visit Paperworld and get in-depth knowledge of the entire paper, office supplies and stationery market, and establish contacts within the sector. In the end, the three winning cards will be selected by public agreement at the show and their designers will receive cash prizes handed down at an award ceremony.

For more information, visit www.avgcard.de and at www.paperworld.de.