LAS VEGAS, NV – July 27, 2025 – 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 last night’s 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 

The full list of the 36th Annual Louie Award winning cards can be found below and an image gallery of the finalist and winning cards on the GCA website here. 

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 September 15, 2025 here. 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: 

Category  Publisher Name 
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 

 

For more information about the Greeting Card Association and its initiatives, please visit greetingcard.org.

About the Greeting Card Association 

The Greeting Card Association (GCA) is the U.S. trade association serving the greeting card and social expression industry. GCA works to promote the sending of greeting cards and advocate for the industry through networking, education, and legislative efforts, including its advocacy on behalf of the citizen mailer and support for the USPS.