As we begin to wrap up another year, GCU has an exciting finish planned with December's Design Challenge.
 
Announcing the Best of 2016 - Founders’ Choice Awards!  
 
This end of year challenge will be different than last year's.  The difference being that GCU founders, Mindy and Nasser, will be choosing from ALL the cards created in 2016 – not just from challenge submissions.  And there will be more than just one winner.  The specific "best of" categories will be announced in January.  This means all artists and all 2016 card submissions are candidates.  
 
Winners of the 1st Annual Founders' Choice Awards are expected to be announced in mid-January, 2017.  Winners will receive the same recognition rewards as in prior design challenges, PLUS winners will receive prestigious and coveted Best of 2016 digital awards for their online promotion and bragging rights.
 
So, on to the details of the challenge:
 
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Theme: Your BEST Design in 2016
 
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Requirements:
 
If ever there was a time to put your best foot forward, this is it!  Last call for 2016 creations to be considered for a possible Founders' Choice Award!
 
- Any category, any subject, any medium.
 
- Since marketable cards have a message and verse which speak to your imagery, category and recipient – blank cards will NOT be considered for entry in this challenge.
 
- Card must be created and approved in 2016
 
- ONE card per artist  
 
- Stock Card Creations (BigStock) ARE eligible
 
- Previous challenge cards – whether they won or not – are eligible should you choose to enter one of those cards as your Best of 2016
 
NOTE: Please understand that your entries for the December Challenge act as a nomination for your Best Card in 2016. By entering your best card approved in 2016, you will ensure its consideration for the 2016 Founder’s Choice Awards!
 
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Entry Deadline: Saturday, December 31st
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Please see more details on the challenge here on the Community blog:
https://gcucommunity.com/2016/12/01/dash-of-inspiration-december-2016-design-cha
llenge/
 
Take a little time to reflect on all of your hard and creative work over the past year.  It's a good time to be a little nostalgic and pat yourself on the back.
 
We look forward to doing the same!    

Quote from Rosalie_136698 on Dec 6^th, 2016, 5:34pm:

 
At the bottom of Mindy's post is a link, go to that and there are instructions to post on that blog post in the comments section:
 
Please see more details on the challenge here on the Community blog:
https://gcucommunity.com/2016/12/01/dash-of-inspiration-december-2016-design-cha
llenge/  
 
How to Enter: Post the PID (card number) and the URL (public storefront link – please WAIT for the card to be available in the public marketplace, please DO NOT post a link to your Manage Cards area) as a post in the challenge blog. We’ll forward your entry to the jury.

Coming soon!  
 
We are busy and in awe of the new designs submitted and new artists that joined us in 2016.  
 
Award categories to be announced this week and winners announced the week of 1/16.  
 
 

Here are the Best of 2016 Founders' Choice Award categories  
 
Best New Card
 
Best Selling Card
 
Best New Artist
 
Best Custom Front Card
* Custom Front Text
* Custom Front Logo
* Photo Card
 
Funniest Card
 
Most Creative Stock Card Creations Card
 
Rising Star Card
 
Best "Wanted Cards Requested" Card
 
Best Uncommon Card
 
Best Design Challenge Card
 
Reviewers' Choice Awards
 
The winners for each category will be announced next week.  
 

With so many amazing cards we have added many Honorable Mentions and also a new award category:
 
Simply Clever card to acknowledge card(s) with a refreshingly simple take on the occasion.
 
We are polishing up our choices and will be announcing the winners here on Monday, January 23!  

And now for the Reviewers' Choice Awards ...
 
12. REVIEWERS' CHOICE AWARDS
 
Phoebe, Reviewer #443
Barbara Schreiber - #1423208

 
Ella, Reviewer #758
Christie Black of Creations from the Heart - #1440548  

 
Rebecca, Reviewer #619
Michelle Goggins of MG Doodle Studio - #1450600  

 
Fiona , Reviewer #825
JJBDesigns - #1460622  

 
Desiree, Reviewer #121
Carol Kearns of Wil Bi Card Store - #1448954  

 
John, Reviewer #233
Doreen Erhardt of Salon of Art - #1436130  

 
Congratulations to this year's award winners!  We will soon have some wonderful digital badges, social media and bragging rights treats for you including a 2016 Awards landing page.
 
It was a wonderfully rewarding exercise to reflect on the year's body of work.  With over 50,000 new cards to admire, this was a very difficult task.  GCU is so thankful for the creative and inspiring work of our artist community which makes GCU the largest greeting card store delighting shoppers with any card imaginable.  These are just a handful of the thousands of shining examples of professionalism, excellence, marketability and creativity.
 
We look forward to another year of more!
 
 

Congratulations everyone, great choices.

Congratulations to all the winners and their wonderful cards.
And thank you so much to reviewer Desiree, Reviewer #121 for choosing one of my cards!
 
And a special thank you to Mindy, Nasser, the GCU reviewers and all at GCU. One of the best things I ever did was join this site.
 
If I'm correct, you'll be 10 years old this summer, an early Happy Birthday to you all.
 
Mindy, you've put together a wonderful site, one I'm sure you're very proud of. I'm so happy to be an artist
here and be part of a community of artists who are always so complimentary and helpful to each other.
 
Long may it last! :thumbs
 
Carol x