The winners of The Henries 2018 awards were announced tonight (October 4) at a glitzy awards event attended by 700 publishers, retailers and industry suppliers.
In keeping with the 80s Electric Dreams theme of the event, legendary DJ Pat Sharp hosted the awards ceremony, which saw publishers of all shapes and sizes be rewarded for their greeting card excellence.
Commenting, Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Max Publishing, which owns and organises The Henries commented in his opening speech: “Musically the 1980s, like the UK greeting card industry of 2018 catered for every age and taste. And like our greeting card industry today it was very fashion-led in all its wondrous guises.
But while the mullets and bubble perms have been tamed, and shoulder pads are no longer de rigeur, our industry continues to hit the high notes through its ability to constantly evolve to changing tastes, which is down to the creativity, passion and incredible ability that we have within this room.”
In addition to revealing the award winners of the best greeting card ranges of the year, the ceremony also saw the presentation of the prestigious Best Service to the Independent Retailer trophies. Noel Tatt was presented with the Bronze service trophy, UKG the Silver and IC&G scooped the top Gold trophy.
Providing an emotional high to the awards ceremony, Ged Mace, the inspirational managing director of The Art File was presented with the Honorary Achievement Awards.
While The Henries awards themselves are serious accolades, the event was full of fun and sparkle as befits the greeting card community.
The Winners of The Henries 2018
The Lynn Tait Most Promising Young Designer Or Artist Award: Emma Pearce, senior designer for Hotchpotch
Best Children’s Range: Party Popper from Cinnamon Aitch
Best Christmas Counter Range: Festive Friends from The Handcrafted Card Company
Best Christmas Box or Pack: Christmas Houses from The Art File
Best Traditional Words & Sentiments Range: Symbols of Love from UK Greetings
Best Contemporary Words and Sentiments Range: More Glitter!!! from Counting Stars
Best Contemporary Trend Range: Brush Strokes from Stop The Clock Design
Best Handmade or Hand-Finished Range: Paper Kisses from Janie Wilson
Best Photographic Range: Say It from CardMix
Best Humorous Range: Holy Flaps from Redback Cards
Best Art Range: David Doran from U Studio Design
Best Licensed Card Range: Ladybird Books for Grown-ups from Danilo
Best Giftwrapping Range: Stephanie Dyment from Glick
Best Male Range: Jamboree from Paper Salad
Best Wholesale Range: Cherished Moments from Regal Publishing
Best Relations and Occasions Range: Gin & Frolics from Rosie Made a Thing
Best Spring Seasons: Father’s Day Collection from Sooshichacha
Best Cute Range: Zoo Lane from Paper Salad
The Henry Cole Classic Award: The Bright Side from Really Good
Best Service to the Independent Retailer – Bronze: Noel Tatt
Best Service to the Independent Retailer – Silver: UK Greetings
Best Service to the Independent Retailer – Gold: IC&G
Honorary Achievement Award: Ged Mace, co-founder of The Art File
All the photos from The Henries 2018 will be uploaded to the awards’ website over the next few days (www.thehenriesawards.co.uk).
