Louise Mulgrew, Redback, Alljoy, The Art File, Paper D’Art, Paper Salad and Tache nominated
UK publishers Louise Mulgrew, Redback, Alljoy, The Art File, Paper D’Art, Paper Salad and Tache have earned 14 finalists places between them in the Louies, the 2023 US greeting card awards.
With the Brits collectively accounting for 10% of all the Louies Awards finalists’ places, the winners of the competition organised by the US Greeting Card Association will be announced on 26 April, at the General’s Residence in San Francisco, the night before its Noted greeting card expo opens at the city’s Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture.
Among the exhibitors at the show will be Notes & Queries, the leading distributor of UK publishers in the States, who will be fanfaring five British Louie finalists among the other UK publishers it represents, plus Redback has also booked a stand in its own right.
Top of the Louies bill among the 79 companies who make up the trio of finalists in each of the 51 categories is Louise Mulgrew, with the publisher’s cards in an amazing six sectors – and she’s a double finalist in two!
In Artist Of The Year, she’s competing with Maginating and Seedlings; for Birthday General $5.50 & Below it’s Fine Moments and E Francis Paper; Mossy Blue Paper Studio and Artige from The Netherlands, which is distributed by Notes & Queries too, are the opposition in Blank Card $5.50 & Below; in Father’s Day $5.50 & Below Louise is up against two designs from Paper Baristas; for Congratulations/Special Occasions $5.50 & Below she has two cards competing with Just Follow Your Art, and for Valentine’s Day $5.50 & Below she is again a double finalist against Maginating.
All Louise’s descriptions mention using gouache and pen and ink “to create whimsical, fresh and playful illustrations” featuring animals, florals and plants, nostalgic natural landscapes and “lots of moon-filled night skies” with delicate gold-foiled detailing.
Paper D’Art, distributed by Notes & Queries, is in the finals in two categories with its 3D cards that require no assembly, a Nutcracker Suite scene is the Christmas/Seasonal General Above $5.50 entry, against Hallmark and Ivory Tower Studios, while in Birthday General Above $5.50 there’s a miniature windmill with sails and a turning waterwheel, with Up With Paper and Shorthand Press the other finalists.
And for Tache it could be the second year in a row as owners Frank Nicholls and Pennie Bryant are one of the three finalists in the Father’s Day Above $5.50 category with their cute crocodile 3D design, having won the Best Blank Card $5 & Below title a year ago.
Also distributed by Notes & Queries, Tache is up against Inklings Paperie and Up With Paper, with its card description stating: “This adorable Father’s Day design features unique characters hand-drawn by the artist. The characters are hand applied with foam tabs that give the card a 3D effect and depth. This card also includes a printed envelope that coordinates with the card.”
Redback Cards and Paper Salad – another Notes & Queries’ publisher – take up two of the Children’s Card Above $5.50 spots, with Hello Suds the home-grown competition. Paper Salad’s cheerful tri-folded design features sweet illustrations of zoo animals in its trademark popping neon inks, while Redback’s bestselling cute sausage dog card from its Shine range, with a sparkly removable sequin patch, also caught the judges’ eyes.
The Art File, distributed too by Notes & Queries, is up against Karen Adams Designs and Artists To Watch/Fun Folk in the Christmas/Season Boxed Set category with its design detailing a nature scene with a tree brimming with fruit, birds and woodland animals embellished with gold foil and embossing.
And in the Halloween Above $5.50 category Alljoy Designs, another Notes & Queries publisher, offers a classic scene of trick or treaters and a spooky old castle with leaf-bare trees, ghosts and bats all crafted from five layers of laser-cut paper. Up With Paper and Hallmark are the other two finalists in this category.
The 34th Louie Awards have been judged by a panel of 52 card publishers, retailers, sales representatives, and stationery industry leaders at five regional hubs across the US, with entries over 60% up on last year. All the finalists can be viewed here.
“This year’s growth in Louie Awards entries is a testament to the industry’s vibrancy,” said US GCA executive director Nora Weiser. “It’s exciting to see the quality of cards, makers’ creativity, and the number of new companies being recognised with Louie honours.”
