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ICMA Announces 2009 Élan Award Winners

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ – April 6, 2009 – The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) announced the winners of its annual Élan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence at an awards ceremony on April 2, 2009 as part of the four day ICMA EXPO at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The awards recognize the latest advancements and achievements in card design throughout the industry.

The only award that recognizes card design innovation as well as technical achievement in the industry, the ICMA Élan Awards honor card manufacturers and vendors for their excellent card design and innovative products. Past recipients include leading card manufacturers from around the globe. Entries were judged solely on the card’s features as entries were not identified by company.

Winners and finalists were chosen in each of the following categories:

Best Gift & Promotional Card

Winner: Toys Card
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: Walgreens

Finalist: Ornament Girl Gift Card
Manufactured By: Jet
For: Target

Finalist: La Senza Prestige Card
Manufactured by: Quatro Card Technology
For: La Senza

Best Identification Card

Winner: Nunavut Driver’s License
Manufactured by: Canadian Bank Note Company Limited
For: Government of Nunavut

Finalist: U.S. Passport Card
Manufactured by: Arthur Blank & Company
For: L1 Identity Solutions on behalf of the U.S. State Department

Finalist: Guanajuato Driver’s License
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: Latin ID

Best Loyalty Card

Winner: Guess List Loyalty Card
Manufactured by: Arthur Blank & Company
For: Guess

Finalist: Student Price Card
Manufactured by: Keystone Manufacturing
For: Meteor Marketing

Finalist: Fairmont President’s Club Card
Manufactured by: Keystone Manufacturing
For: Belanger & Associates

Best Access Control Card

Winner: Illinois River Energy Card
Manufactured by: Vanguard ID Systems
For: Illinois River Energy for CompuWeigh

Unique Innovation

Winner: Walmart Merry Christmas Velour Card
Manufactured by: Premier Card Solutions
For: First Data

Finalist: VSX Sport Card
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: Limited Brands

Finalist: Metal Snowflake Card
Manufactured by: Jet
For: Target

Best Secure Financial Card Design

Winner: Sina Music Channel Co-Branded Credit Card
Manufactured by: Huangshi G&D Wanda Security Card Limited
For: China Everbright Bank

Finalist: Xelion Mastercard
Manufactured by: Future Card

Finalist: Elevate Card
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: Virgin America/Barclays Bank

Best Other Secure Card Design

Winner: Crystal Card with Ox Motif of Chinese New Year
Manufactured by: Huangshi G&D Wanda Security Card Limited
For: Nanjing Public Utility IC Card Company Limited

Finalist: First Data Go-Tag Sticker
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: First Data

Finalist: Norsk Tipping Spillerkort Card
Manufactured by: Card Data Management Limited
For: Buypass AS

Best Vendor New Product, Equipment or Material

Winner: Austria Card
For: LAKS Smart Transaction Watch 2

Finalist: Bayer MaterialScience
For: Laser Blocking Polycarbonate Film

Finalist: Bayer MaterialScience
For: Polycarbonate film for laser authentication technology

Judges’ Choice

Winner: MTV Co-branded Credit Card
Manufactured by: Huangshi G&D Wanda Security Card Limited
For: China Merchants Bank

The People’s Choice Award was selected by on-site delegates. The recipients are as follows:

People’s Choice

Winner (Tie): First Data Go-Tag Sticker
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: First Data

Winner (Tie): U.S. Passport Card
Manufactured by: Arthur Blank & Company
For: L1 Identity Solutions on behalf of the U.S. State Department

Finalist: Illinois River Energy Card
Manufactured by: Vanguard ID Systems
For: Illinois River Energy for CompuWeigh

Finalist: Toys Card
Manufactured by: CPI Card Group
For: Walgreens

Also at the awards ceremony, the Best Exhibit Design was presented to Q-Card for their innovative and interactive booth design. Finalists Apollo Colours Canada and Burkle USA were also honored. ICMA also recognized the ID Ideas Badge Design contest winner Teraco, and finalists Giesecke & Devrient and VCT-NJ for their card submissions. The contest enables members to submit their EXPO themed badge design to be considered as the badge worn by all attendees. The Outstanding Member Service Award was given to two individuals this year; Terry Schindler of Q-Card and Merrill Martin of VCT-NJ for their support and dedication to the association.

For more information on ICMA, contact Lynn McCullough at 609-799-4900 or email LMccullough@icma.com.

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About Élan Awards
In the global arena of world-class cards, the ICMA Élan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence are the pinnacle of design innovation and technical achievement. Past recipients have included leading manufacturers from around the globe. Winners of this prestigious competition tap the power of industry recognition and promotional opportunity.

About ICMA
Based in Princeton Junction, NJ, USA, ICMA is a non-profit association of plastic card manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and related industry participants. With more than 240 members globally, the ICMA acts as a clearinghouse for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental issues of plastic cards. Visit www.icma.com for more information.

Editor’s Note: JPEG images are available upon request. Please contact Meghan Higgins at 609-297-2218 or email MHiggins@icma.com.