Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series – Contest Team Interview

We are very excited to launch a brand new weekly feature titled the $10,000 Create-A-Greeting-Card-Scholarship Look Back Series. This series will look back on all of our previous annual Scholarship contests with each month focusing on one contest with weekly posts full of behind the scenes information, past winner interviews, card transformation and much much more.

With our first official entry we want everyone to get a little more familiar with the Scholarship team that is responsible for going through the entries, selecting the finalists and eventually the winner. Read the interview below to get an inside look into who makes up the team, what they look for and more!


Interview with the Scholarship Contest Team


 

How many members are on the Scholarship team that judges the entries?
We have a total of 6 members on our panel. We have people on the team from different departments in our company such as Production, Creative and even an artist from our Art Department in order to provide a different viewpoint for each aspect of turning an entry into a card.

 

How often does the scholarship team meet to go over the entries?
We start meeting a month after each contest begins and go on to meet once a month moving forward until the contest ends. We like to meet once a month in order to avoid having the entries get backed up to such a large number that would be difficult for us to view. During the 2011 scholarship contest, we received over 13,000 entries so saving them all for the end wouldn’t have allowed us the ability go through each entry as thoroughly as we would have liked.

 

What typically goes on in these monthly meetings?
In each meeting we like to go through the entries that we have received since the last and set aside any potential finalists that we feel could be turned into cards. The first thing that we look for is Creativity and Originality. We want to see an effort was put into the entry and then we go through the remaining criteria. Many times an entry can be very good art but unfortunately does not meet 5, 6 or 7 from the below judging criteria.

JUDGING CRITERIA

  1. Overall aesthetic appeal
  2. Quality of execution
  3. Creativity and Originality
  4. Successful incorporation of design elements
  5. Appropriateness for use as a greeting card
  6. Attractiveness to The Gallery Collection’s corporate and consumer customers
  7. Suitability as a design in Prudent’s Gallery Collection greeting card line

 

When do you officially choose the finalists for the contest?
Once we start getting close to the end of the contest, we begin to look through the potential finalists that we set aside in our monthly meetings to narrow them down to around 200 entries. Then once the contest officially ends, we go through the remaining entries that we have received and choose any others that we feel meet the judging criteria and could be turned into beautiful cards. We then like to post them up on our website to let everyone see just how amazing the pool of finalists really is.

 

How do you eventually settle on the winning design?
Once we have the 200 finalists chosen, we begin our voting rounds which we use to narrow down the number to around 5-10 “Super Finalists”. At this point we put together affidavits which are sent to each entrant to ensure that their artwork and identity is confirmed. Once we receive the affidavits back we then go through the final voting phase which also involves some of our executive team at the company to pick our final winner.

 

What is your favorite part about being on the Scholarship Team?
I think each of us can easily say the absolute best feeling in the world is when we finally contact the winner to let them know they have won. A call like that is something amazing to be a part of because it makes all of the work and time that we have put into this contest worth it. Knowing that the $10,000 Create-A-Greeting-Card-Scholarship is going to help a student further their education means the world to us. We all look forward to this each year.

 

That brings us to the end of our inside look into our hard working Scholarship Team. We hope this interview gave you a little insight into the amount of work and thought that goes into each years contest. Without this team this scholarship contest would not be possible!

We want to let everyone know to keep a look out for next weeks post in our weekly series which will be a behind the scenes look into the transformation of our 2011 Scholarship Contest Winner, Whitney Fuertes’ entry into a card!

Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series – 2013 Scholarship Contest Updates Coming Soon

With the 2013 Scholarship Contest currently running, we are more excited than ever to get a look at the types of entries we are going to receive. This is the first year that we have added in a new $1,000 Military Prize that will be awarded to an entry from a member of the United States Military. This is just a small token of our appreciation for all members of the United States Military service that we are very excited to offer.

We invite you to come back soon to get a behind the scenes look into the 2013 Scholarship Contest with things like a winner interview, a look at the transformation process from the entry to the card and much more!

 

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Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Look Back Series – 2012 Scholarship Contest Updates Coming Soon

The 2012 Scholarship Contest was a blast for all of us and was our largest contest yet! We received over 13,000 entries and were busier than ever sorting through them all. In the end, Kathy Zhou was selected as the winner with her beautiful design featuring an Ornament composed of various Christmas themed wording.

We invite you to come back soon to get a behind the scenes look into the 2012 Scholarship contest with things like an interview with Kathy Zhou, a look into the transformation process from the entry to the card  and much more!

 

 

2012 Winning Entry
2012 Winning Entry

 

Celebrate Your Shining Stars with Employee Birthday Cards

I was looking at the stars, enjoying the beauty of the night sky. I saw a bright star and wondered what it was called. Then I remembered the star that guided the wise men and I wondered if it was still in the sky, or had it gone as mysteriously as it had appeared? Then I thought do we all have a star appointed to us at birth? There’s so many, maybe we do have our own. At Christmas time people the world over celebrate a birthday, to some, the most important one ever. I feel it’s important to celebrate our own and others uniqueness. Each of us is a beautiful, one of a kind, never to be repeated star! Let your employee’s know you appreciate them with employee birthday cards.

Employee Birthday Cards

I’m sure you will agree each of your employee’s and clients bring something unique to your business. Whether it’s a sunny disposition, fantastic memory, a great sense of humor, they all shine like stars in your sky. Letting them know with company birthday cards is just good business. We all shine and get a twinkle in our eyes when we receive positive recognition. It makes us happy and productive, energizes us and spurs us on to bigger and better accomplishments. And joy is contagious. Maybe that’s what our economy needs a dose of joy, to stimulate it and get it going. So get those cards and let’s turn this thing around. Get your shine on people!

Sharing Memories With Business Greeting Cards

When my long time college friends and I decided to throw one of our good friends Erin the biggest surprise party of her life, we knew we had to come up with an amazing idea that would make a lasting impression on Erin and the friends and family that we invited. With all the planning and preparations between us going on for months, we wanted to get a special message out to Erin how much she is loved and appreciate by all who will be attending her special party. To do something a little different, we set up a photo booth for everyone to take a few pictures of themselves to leave for Erin. My friends and I came up with an idea to leave a basket of greeting cards next to the booth so Erin’s guests along with the picture they took can write a short note for her to look at for years to come. After searching many internet sites for the nicest greeting cards at a reasonable price, I came upon The Gallery Collection website, which believe it or not had the most beautiful assortment of business greeting cards to choose from.

Surprise Party Greeting Cards

At this point, I needed to have on hand a few different designs of greeting cards to have next to the booth. I was able to order an assortment box of greeting cards which was the perfect touch for the message we were trying to get across to Erin. After each of the guests took a picture in the booth, they got to pick a greeting card out of the basket which fit them best. Besides leaving the picture they just took inside the card, they can write a special personalized message, maybe a special memory they shared with Erin, or they can simply write a thank you to Erin for her friendship over the years.

After speaking with Erin a few days later after her party, Erin was very touched by the idea we had with the photo booth along with the greeting cards. She loves the idea that she now has a picture to go along with a special message from each of her guests to keep from years to come.

Birthday Cards Put A Smile On My Face

So, today is my birthday. It’s always fun waking up, and knowing that today is your special day. I’m not one to like being the center of attention, but it’s always an exception on your birthday. I like the gathering of all my friends and family to celebrate the day I was born, in an epic fashion. Usually we go out into the city and decide on a fun looking bar. Other years, we’ll opt for the club scene. And some years, I even feel like being low key and just want everyone to gather at my favorite restaurant. The gathering of everyone dear to me is one of my favorite things about my birthday… aside from the presents of course! Do you know what another of my favorite things about my birthday is? Birthday Cards! Birthday cards are something that I enjoy receiving so much because I can go back at the end of the day and look at each of my “Happy Birthday” greetings one by one, after a fun day of partying. Some are hysterically funny, some are sincerely touching. People can say it directly, but it’s always nice to be able to look back and see what special things everyone had to say about you.

Birthday Cards

So today when I walked into work, I made my way through the office and finally got to my desk. My face lit up with a smile bigger than ever as I walked closer and closer to my chair, already seeing a bunch of envelopes with my name on them sitting on top of my keyboard. I was ecstatic to open each and every one of them! I had some from my co-workers, some from my boss, some from my supervisor. I thought it was so sweet that they got me cards. The outpouring of love filled my heart and made my birthday start off in the best way. After settling down, I put all my cards around my desk, displayed nicely for everyone to see. My mother had commented to me about how she loves the place I work at because they appreciate me and are kind enough to give me a birthday card. I thought to myself “Why don’t all places have business birthday cards?”. For what it’s worth, if everyone gave business birthday cards like my job does, I’m sure their employees would be just as thrilled and touched as I was. It’s just a nice gesture and it’s smart motivation. Even the restaurant that we ended up gathering at gave me a birthday card right before they brought my cake out! That also put a smile on my face… all in all, it was an excellent day!

Environmentally Friendly Greeting Cards for The Green Team

Our town’s Environmental Commission put together a birthday celebration for the Green Team’s President. The Mayor and City Council attended. I only knew the president for a short while and she didn’t smile much. I had just ordered environmentally friendly greeting cards from The Gallery Collection and gave her one. I was thankful I did because after her speech on saving trees she read her birthday cards. The first thing she did before she read the card was flip the card over and look at the back of the card. She got to my card, paused, looked at me, then she smiled and passed my card around to everyone, even the Mayor! She was so impressed that I had given her an exquisite birthday card. Most importantly she was extremely impressed that the cards and envelopes were made out of recycled paper.

Not only were the cards eco-friendly but they were made from renewable energy and manufactured in a paper mill powered by wind-generated, renewable energy. Wind power energy produces zero greenhouse gas emissions, is fully renewable and reduces the need for imported oil. I was the talk of the party! Now she sends everyone eco-friendly personalized birthday cards. There is so much waste that effects our planet and ultimately affects our health. Being part of the Green Team and the Environmental Commission makes me very aware of the negative effects waste has on our planet we call Earth. As I learn more about the environment I realize how much waste is really accumulated, I also realize that the more I do my part in being green the more I can contribute to the future of our planet. I am thankful that there are companies like the Gallery Collection that goes a step forward in preserving our planet.

Sincerely Keeping In Touch With Personalized Birthday Cards

Isn’t the internet great?! How did we ever live without it? And cell phones? And smart phone apps? And tablets? Finding my way through my busy days is so much easier with these wonderful conveniences. And, just think: the younger generation doesn’t even know what life was like without today’s technological tools.

Many of my friends are addicted to Facebook and Twitter, and many other social media sites. They are all so connected, always knowing what’s going on, and with whom, and always keeping everyone else informed of their every activity and thought.

Imagine my surprise when I heard one of them bemoaning his loss of privacy these days.

When I say “heard,” I actually mean that. You see, my friend phoned to say, “Thank you for the personalized birthday cards!” We noted how good it was to hear each other’s actual voice again; it had been so long since we had a live talk with one another!

He’s on Facebook and I’m not, so I was unaware of all that had been going on in his life. He, on the other hand, mistakenly went along assuming that everyone was still connected to him because of Facebook.

He told me he’d gotten a few emails from friends who remembered his birthday, although he couldn’t remember who from. But he was so touched by receiving actual, hold-in-his-hand and display-on-his-shelf birthday cards from me, he felt the urge to call and really catch up with a give-and-take conversation. We spent so much phone time laughing; we set a date to meet for dinner and a good long chat.

Just a little reminder that the internet, while great for gathering information, is not the warmest way to share your real life with the humans you truly care about. And, typing LOL to the world is not the same as the contagion of laughing with each other.

Bulk Greeting Cards Can Help You Save Face

I know I can’t be the only absent minded person who constantly forgets my friends and families major or sometimes minor, life celebrations, i.e.: wedding anniversaries, birthdays, etc. It seems no matter how much I plan out the following months calendar, these items are often left off. So, since I am unable to mentally accomplish this task, I found a great way to save face, I purchase bulk greeting cards. I get a fantastic assortment that covers all my needs, and I never miss anyone’s special day, and better yet, I don’t have to make that embarrassing phone call to apologies several days after the event.

Now, I am willing to share another great tidbit of information with you all. You may be wondering which greeting card companies would have such awesome quality cards and a great price. Well look no further than right here at The Gallery Collection. You won’t find better quality cards anywhere, these cards are made from a nice thick paper and have exquisite designs, and they will stand out when sitting on a mantle next to lesser cards. They really are great, buy and box and you will not be disappointed!