NEW YORK, NY, May 19, 2008…The addition of “Think Green” categories to the Best New Product Awards competition at the National Stationery Show^® propelled the contest to a new level, as judges reviewed a record-breaking 375 new products to select 13 winners, Sunday, May 18, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.  The coveted Awards are presented in 12 categories and are considered a top honor within the social stationery industry.

Winners of the 12^th annual Best New Product Awards are:
Delegates’ Choice
Fancy That! (La Mesa, CA), for The Original Decorative Packing Tape™, an innovative product that brings easy style to the outside of a shipping box bearing gifts that are dressed to impress.

Desk Accessories
OBLONG (Bainbridge Island, WA), for BoxTote®, a stylish and sturdy tote made of laminated paper, ideal for carrying paperwork, file folders, magazines and anything else that should not be bent or crumpled.

Lifestyle/Specialty Gift
Driscoll Design (Seattle, WA), for Boutique Matchboxes, individually hand-glittered boxes that contain colored matches that match the box design.

Luxury
Bridal Tapestry (Waltham, MA), for Opulence, a seating scroll featuring a pure silk matte, rosette shaped brooch with Swarovski crystals and a luxurious ribbon for the ultimate in elegance.

Paper Craft/Scrapbooking
Fancy That! (La Mesa, CA), for The Original Decorative Packing Tape™, an innovative product that brings easy style to the outside of a shipping box bearing gifts that are dressed to impress.

Party
The Fab Fob Company, LLC (Drake, CO), for Fobbie, a 4-inch, slotted square or round card that is adorned with a greeting or personal photo, allowing ribbon to be weaved through in opposite directions, cinching the package tightly and eliminating the need for bows that are easily crushed.

Social Stationery
Design Design, Inc. (Grand Rapids, MI), for Christmas LED Greeting Card, a holiday card featuring three mice with angel wings and glittered halos, illuminated with LED fiber optics lights.

Think Green: Desk Accessories
Elum Designs, Inc. (San Diego, CA), for its Wood Grain Desk Set, a complete collection of varying sized letterpress note cards and custom envelopes, each designed with the latest interior design color trends and packaged in a custom-printed fabric box.

Think Green: Lifestyle/Specialty Gift
Peridot Paper (Washington, DC), for Gone Green Gift Wrapping Kit, an eco-friendly gift wrapping kit consisting of 100 percent recycled gift wrapping paper and natural ribbon presented in an elegant presentation box.

Think Green: Luxury
Eccolo Ltd./Made in Italy (Brooklyn, NY), for Terra Journal, a journal made from recycled leather that features lined paper from a certified well managed regrowth forest.

Think Green: Paper Craft/Scrapbooking
ClearBags (El Dorado Hills, CA), for Biodegradable Clear Bags™, the biodegradable, compostable and sustainable alternative to traditional packaging, for stationery and card packaging.

Think Green: Party
Oots! (Santa Fe, NM), for Handmade Seed Paper Ornaments, a collection of 25 different ornaments and 10 minis that can be planted to grow beautiful flowers, herbs, vegetables or trees – a perfect, green party favor.

Think Green: Social Stationery
Bitesize Cards™ (Maspeth, NY), for Cupcake Delight, a signature handmade greeting card made from textured cardstock, red shirt buttons, and a cupcake bottom made from used Starbucks coffee sleeves and other discarded corrugated cardboard.

“These exhibitors are innovators and trend-setters in an ever-evolving social stationery industry,” said Patti Stracher, show manager.  “Each product that captured the attention of our judges exemplifies creativity, functionality and fun – and in the case of our “Think Green” winners – social responsibility.  These companies are to be commended for their ingenuity and continued efforts to provide the industry with fresh resources.”

Judges for the 12^th annual Best New Product Awards were Patricia Norins, Gift Shop; Joyce Washnik, Giftbeat; Caroline Kennedy, Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Jolene Turner, Giftware News; Kathy Krassner, Greetings etc.; Charlotte Cowell, Greetings Today; and Sarah Schwartz, Stationery Trends.  In addition, 23 National Stationery Show Delegates reviewed entries to determine the 2^nd annual Delegates’ Choice Award winner.  Winners were selected based on innovative product design or concept, how the product answers an industry need, aesthetic appeal, creative use of materials and innovative packaging.

The 62^nd annual National Stationery Show, the nation’s leading marketplace for the social stationery industry, runs Sunday, May 18, through Wednesday, May 21, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.  The Show features 1,300 exhibitors and attracts some 15,000 attendees. 

The National Stationery Show is owned and managed by GLM^®, a dmg world media business.  For exhibitor information, contact Arque McCarthy-Grimes, exhibit sales manager, at GLM, Ten Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606-1954.  Telephone (914) 421-3275.  Fax (914) 948-2918. E-mail arque_grimes@glmshows.com. Attendee information is available by contacting GLM’s Customer Relations Department, at (800) 272-SHOW or (603) 665-7524, or by email, at customer_relations@glmshows.com.  Additional information and registration is available online, at www.nationalstationeryshow.com.