Call for Entries Information

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Entry Timeline:

• October 1: Webinar for information on entering. Watch the recording here.
• October 8 – January 14: Call for Submissions Open. Enter here.  
  • October 8 – October 16: GCA Members ONLY – Buy 4, get 1 free special
  • October 17 – October 31: Early Bird Pricing
  • November 1 – December 30: Regular Pricing
  • December 31 – January 14: Late Pricing
• January 19: Cards samples due in the office.
  • Mailing information guidelines can be found here.
• January 31 – February 18: Judging
• Week of February 24: Finalists Announced
• August 17: Winner Announcements & Ceremony in Louisville, KY

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Process for Submitting a Card:

1. Determine Eligibility (scroll down to view)
2. Choose your category
3. Create an account on our award platform, Award Force 
4. Log in and go to My Entries
5. Start a New Entry (entries will be open for submissions on October 8 for members and October 17 for non-members)
6. Click Add to Cart
7. If you want to submit multiple entries, you can either duplicate a previous one or start a new entry.
8. Check out and pay for your entries
   • The deadline to enter is Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
9. Mail in your physical samples for judging
   • The deadline for cards to arrive in the office is Monday, January 19, 2026, but the earlier the better!
   • NOTE: GCA has a new office this year, so make sure you have the correct address.
   • Mailing guidelines can be found here

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Cost to Enter

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Complimentary Entries for Diverse Makers

This year, GCA is dedicated to diversifying the Louie Awards and highlighting makers and companies from underrepresented communities in our industry. We are offering two free Louie entries to any maker who self-identifies as part of the following communities: Black, AAPI, LGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Latinx.

These free entries can ONLY be used for the following categories:

• Celebrating LGBTQIA+
• Celebrating Latinx Culture
• Celebrating Black Culture
• Celebrating AAPI Culture
• Celebrating Indigenous Culture

To get a discount code to submit to these categories, fill out this form here.

Eligibility/Entry Requirements:

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

• The card must have been marketed or sold in the U.S. between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
  • This DOES NOT mean the card has to have been released in 2025. It just has to have been marketed or sold in 2025.
• The card must come from a run of 200 or more. For Invitations & Announcements, it must come from a run of 50 or more.
• No samples or prototypes may be submitted for judging.
• No cards that have been entered in previous years may be re-entered, except for cards submitted for Rising Star, Writer of the Year and Artist of the Year.
• If you are submitting for a category that is $5.50 and Below, the card must retail for a cost at or below $5.50
• You may enter as many cards as you’d like into a single category.
• You may NOT enter the same card in multiple categories.
  • The exceptions to this rule are Rising Star, Writer of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Letterpress categories because these recognize companies instead of a single card.

CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS:

• For a category to be judged, there must be a minimum of seven total entries from at least three different companies. If the minimum is not met, entries will be combined with alternate price point of same category where possible*. At the discretion of the committee and based on the number of cards in a category, your card may be moved or combined with another category. 
• If the above criteria are not met, applicants may move their card(s) to a different category if applicable or will be refunded entry fees.

RISING STAR REQUIREMENTS:

• The company must be in business for three years or less.
• The company must have sold their first official card on or after January 1, 2023, to be eligible.
• Entrants must submit five cards so that judges can evaluate the collection as a whole.

SMALL COMPANY CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS:

• The company must have five or fewer full-time employees.
• Must be a birthday card.