PEWAUKEE, WI — May 27, 2025 — The Great Lakes Graphics Association (GLGA) has revealed the first group of top winners of their 2025 Graphics Excellence Awards (GEAs). The announcement was made at their Wisconsin Excellence Awards Celebration held on May 27, 2025, at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee, WI.
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 are two award ceremonies on separate nights so that more members throughout GLGA’s three-state region could attend and celebrate another spectacular year of print. A second ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 29, at White Pines Golf Club and Banquets, Bensenville, Illinois.
GLGA president Joe Lyman emceed the ceremony, which also included the presentation of more than 70 plaques to Wisconsin’s Best of Category and Best of Division honorees. The celebration also recognized this year’s Excellence in Leadership recipients and nominees.
Color Ink, Inc., Sussex, Wisconsin, took Best of Wisconsin honors with their PETCO In Store Floor Display entry in the Point-of-Purchase Floor/Stand Alone category.
People’s Choice honors are awarded in each location, with each winner selected by a vote of the attendees at their respective Celebrations. American Printing Company of Madison, Wisconsin, won the Milwaukee attendees’ vote for People’s Choice for their Glaze & Foil 101 Brochure in the Brochures and Broadsides (4 or more colors) category.
Top honors still to be announced are the Best of Illinois, Best of Indiana, the Chicagoland People’s Choice, 1st and 2nd Runners Up, and the competition’s highest honor – Best of Show. These awards will be revealed at the Celebration coming up on Thursday, May 29 in Bensenville, Illinois. Watch for the news posted live from the event on GLGA’s LinkedIn networking group page and posted on GLGA’s website.
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.
“As one of the largest regional graphic competitions in North America, the GEAs are a showcase that demonstrates just how outstanding the quality of work produced in our region is,” Lyman said. “We are extremely proud to represent such outstanding print organizations.”
