June 3, 2024 — The Great Lakes Graphics Association (GLGA) is looking forward to unveiling a new version of their annual awards ceremonies that celebrate the winners of the Graphics Excellence and Women in Print Excellence Awards.
“For more than 25 years, the Celebrations have been a special night for the printing industry in our region,” said GLGA President Joe Lyman. “It was time for some rejuvenation to keep the Celebrations meaningful as well as inclusive as we strive to honor more industry achievements.”
Previously called the GEAs Celebrations, the ceremonies were the culmination of the annual Graphics Excellence Awards competition, which recognizes companies throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin for superb craftsmanship in the design, creation and production of outstanding printed projects they produce for their customers.
With the success of GLGA’s new Women in Print Excellence Awards, the time had come for the ceremony to evolve. Over the winter, a focus group of GLGA members and past awards participants discussed ideas to freshen up the annual event.
This year there will be two award ceremonies on separate nights so that more members throughout GLGA’s three-state region can attend. On Thursday, June 6, 2024, a Celebration will be held at the Stonegate Conference Center Hoffman Estates, Illinois; on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, a Celebration will be held at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In addition to the refreshed event name and focus, there will be some sprucing up to the presentations during the ceremonies. GLGA also will recognize graduates of the GLGA Print Academy who have earned Certificates of Achievement. In future years, GLGA expects to announce other awards which will honor additional individual achievements.
Winners of this year’s GEAs will see another change as soon as they set foot on stage. Joe Lyman and GEAs Coordinator Debra Warner worked with the Best of Category award manufacturer on a redesign of the GEAs award plaques. The refreshed look is lighter and features GLGA’s brand colors. “We think recipients will like how the photos of their winning entries stand out more on the new plaques,” Lyman said.
On both nights, the Celebrations start at 4:30 p.m. with a networking reception. All of the award-winning projects from more than 100 GEAs categories will be on display for attendees to examine and to choose their favorite in the voting for that night’s People’s Choice award.
A formal dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will begin with honoring the recipients and nominees of this year’s Women in Print Excellence Awards. They will be followed by the presentation of the GEAs category and division winners. The evening culminates with the announcement of the night’s top GEAs awards: Best of Show and Runner-Ups, Best of States, Best of Packaging, and People’s Choice winners.
The 2024 GEAs competition was judged over two days in March with a panel of outside graphics experts who brought almost 100 years of collective print, finishing and converting experience to their evaluation of the contenders. There was a wide range of excellent entries including posters and calendars, books and catalogs, labels and tags, wide format, and packaging.
The 2024 Women in Print Excellence Awards supports GLGA’s ongoing quest to recognize the contributions of women in the Midwest print, graphic arts, finishing and print packaging community. Nominations were accepted in April of this year; a panel of female print professionals from outside the Midwest selected one recipient per state.
“As one of the largest regional graphic competitions in North America, the GEAs are one of most recognized programs GLGA manages throughout the year,” Lyman said. “Once again our competitors dazzled our judges with their exceptional quality of work..
“Our superb class of Women in Print Excellence nominees demonstrates over and over again the valuable contributions made by females to our industry. Our judging panel said it was very difficult to choose just one recipient per state,” he said.
““We are extremely proud to represent such outstanding print organizations and individuals.”
