PEWAUKEE, WI — May 29, 2025 — The Great Lakes Graphics Association (GLGA) has revealed the second group of top winners of their 2025 Graphics Excellence Awards (GEAs). The announcements were made at their Chicagoland Excellence Awards Celebration held on May 29 at White Pines Golf Club and Banquets, Bensenville, Illinois.
Best of Show, the competition’s highest honor, was awarded to Yorke Printe Shoppe of Lombard, Illinois, for their entry in the Booklets (4 or more colors) category entitled Get Ready to Roll. The judges called the piece “a visual smorgasbord.”
The Awards Celebrations are the culmination of the annual GEAs 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.
Again this year there were two award ceremonies on separate nights so that more members throughout GLGA’s three-state region can attend and celebrate another spectacular year of print. The first ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 27, at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
GLGA president Joe Lyman emceed the ceremony, which also included the presentation of more than 40 plaques to Illinois and Indiana’s Best of Category and Best of Division honorees. The celebration also recognized this year’s Excellence in Leadership recipients and nominees.
First Runner-Up was awarded to HardingPoorman of Indianapolis, Indiana, for their PHOENIX – A Purdue Basketball Story in the Hard Cover Trade Books, Journals and Other Books category.
Second Runner-Up honors were presented to LCP, Waukegan, Illinois, for their LCP 2025 Calendar in the Calendars category.
Best of Illinois went to Quantum Group, Morton Grove, Illinois, for their BIOLUMEN Warhead 3 Book Set in the Soft Cover Books category. Best of Indiana featured the Tactive Eclipse Kit from the Direct Mail Campaigns, Business-to-Business category by Tactive, of Indianapolis, Indiana.
People’s Choice honors are awarded in each location, with each winner selected by a vote of the attendees at their respective Celebrations. The Chicagoland attendees agreed with our judges – they also selected our Best of Show, Yorke Printe Shoppe’s Get Ready to Roll booklet, for their People’s Choice honors.
Previously announced at the May 27 Celebration were Best of Wisconsin, awarded to Color Ink, Inc., of Sussex, Wisconsin; and the Milwaukee People’s Choice, awarded to American Printing Company of Madison, WI.
The GEAs competition was judged over two days in March by 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.
“Print is an essential and exciting industry, with capabilities that continuously evolve to answer today’s communications needs. GLGA is honored to shine a light on the exceptional companies and their skilled staffs who produce such high-quality work,” Lyman said.
