Judging Process and Criteria

The Louie Awards judging process consists of two rounds of judging during an intensive two-round process. In this first round, judges are split into hubs across the country where they will hold, touch, and view physical copies of the cards. Each hub is responsible for judging a certain portion of the categories. The top five scoring cards in each category are then moved into the second round of judging which is done virtually. During the second round of judging, all judges re-score and rank the top five cards.

Louie judges are invite-only and consist of a mix of retailers, makers, reps, and associate members.

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In each judging round, the cards are evaluated based on four criteria:

• Originality: Does this card take a unique approach to design, concept and/or execution? Is the idea, presentation and/or construction something new in the industry and/or for the holiday/occasion?
• Impact: Does this greeting card inspire an emotional reaction? Does it invoke overwhelming happiness, laughter, love and/or comfort as is the intended purpose of the card? 
• Design Excellence: Is the overall look of this card visually appealing? Is the artwork arrangement, typography, paper, print quality and embellishments exceptionally notable?
• Value: Is this card priced appropriately based on the overall design and quality of the product?

*New in 2024* With the creation of Celebrating Diversity categories, the Louie Award committee created a unique set of criteria to evaluate these cards. These criteria will be used for the Celebrating LGBTQIA+, Celebrating Black Culture, Celebrating Indigenous Culture, Celebrating Latinx Culture, and Celebrating AAPI Culture categories.

• Cultural Inspiration – Is a connection to the community’s heritage, holidays, languages, and/or history present
• Originality: Does this card take a unique approach to design, concept and/or execution? Is the idea, presentation and/or construction something new in the industry and/or for the holiday/occasion?
• Impact: Will a consumer from this culture potentially see themselves represented if they see this card on a store shelf?
• Design Excellence: Is the overall look of this card visually appealing? Is the artwork arrangement, typography, paper, print quality and embellishments exceptionally notable?

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The cards are judged on a scale of one to ten. Point range is as follows:

• 1-3 | Below Standard
• 4-6 | Meet Standard
• 7-8 | Exceeds Standard
• 9-10 | Extraordinary

Based on the numerical scores, three finalists will emerge in each category, with one earning the coveted Louie Award. Finalists will be announced in mid-February and winners will be announced at the Louie Award Celebration in April. After this, all entrants will be able to access their scores and narrative feedback via their online entry portal.

A Blue Ribbon Panel of five select judges will choose two Cards of the Year from among the category winners in each price break. Winners will be announced at the Annual Louie Awards celebration at *Noted.