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THE INTERNATIONAL CARD MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (ICMA) ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ANNUAL ÉLAN AWARDS

— ICMA Members Recognized for Outstanding Card Design —

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, November 1, 2005 — Recognizing the latest advancements and achievements in plastic card design, the International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) is proud to announce the winners of the organization’s annual Élan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence. The awards ceremony was held this last month at the annual ICMA EXPO, in Miami, Flordia.

“The Élan entrants continue to impress me. Each year the improvements and new technologies grow increasingly more intricate and fascinating ,” said Jeffrey E. Barnhart, founder and executive director of ICMA. “The awards represent the vast pendulum of the card industry, with entrants from over eight countries. ICMA is extremely impressed and extends their congratulations to all the Élan winners. ” Countries represented included Canada, China , Greece, India, Switzerland and the USA, among others.

Judges of the Élan Awards were William J. Crawford, Waytek Corporation; Catherine Johnston, ACT Canada – Advanced Card Technology Association of Canada; and Brad Paulson, Thor Engineering and ICMA’s standards representative. Each entry was selected in a blind competition (unidentified by company).

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

Best Phone Card

Winner: Reflections 3
Manufacturer Entrant: Hellenic Smart Card Corporation S.A.
Customer for Card: OTE S.A. (Greek Telecommunications Organization)
Location: Tsoummba-Avlonas Attikis, Greece

Finalist: IDT Clear Cards
Manufacturer Entrant: UV Color, Inc.
Customer for Card: IDT Telecom
Location: Roseville, MN, USA

Finalist: Madagascar - Alex
Manufacturer Entrant: UV Color, Inc.
Customer for Card: DIGITEL
Location: Roseville, MN, USA

Best Financial Card

Winner: Yan Oi Visa Classic Card
Manufacturer Entrant: Gemplus Goldpac Group
Customer for Card: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Location: Zhuhai, China

Finalist: BNS Moneyback Visa Card – Full Face Foil
Manufacturer Entrant: Giesecke & Devrient, Twinsburg, USA
Customer for Card: Scotiabank
Location: Twinsburg, OH, USA

Finalist: ETRADE COMPLETE
Manufacturer Entrant: Gemplus
Customer for Card: ETRADE Financial
Location: Montgomery, PA, USA

Best Non-Financial

Winner: Party Hats
Manufacturer Entrant: UV Color, Inc.
Customer for Card: Target Corporation
Location: Roseville , MN, USA

Finalist: OSH Card – Orchard Supply Hardware
Manufacturer Entrant: VCT/QualTeq Division
Customer for Card: Citi/Sears
Location: South Plainfield, NJ, USA

Finalist: Q Card (Membership)
Manufacturer Entrant: CPI Card Group
Customer for Card: Quintess
Location: Littleton, CO, USA

Technical Achievement

Winner: Tactile Card
Manufacturer Entrant: Placard Pty Ltd
Customer for Card: Placard Promotional Card
Location: Bayswater, Victoria, Australia

Finalist: Aster Visa Classic Card
Manufacturer Entrant: Gemplus Goldpac Group
Customer for Card: AEON Credit Service ( Asia) Co. Ltd.
Location: Zhuhai , China

Finalist: Rayli Lady of Perfume Visa Card
Manufacturer Entrant: Gemplus Goldpac Group
Customer for Card: China Merchants Bank
Location: Zhuhai , China

The delegates onsite selected the People’s Choice Award. The recipients are as follows.

People's Choice

Winner: Starbucks’ Ichiro Card
Manufacturer Entrant: Travel Tags, Inc.
Customer for Card: Starbucks
Location: Inver Grove Heights, MN, USA

Finalist: BNS Moneyback Visa Card – Full Face Foil
Manufacturer Entrant: Giesecke & Devrient
Customer for Card: Scotiabank
Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada

Finalist: Mother’s Day Floral Card
Manufacturer Entrant: UV Color, Inc.
Customer for Card: Target Corporation
Location: Roseville, MN, USA

Additionally, the Élan Award for Best Exhibit Design was presented to Associated Pacific Machine Corporation, based in Camarillo, California USA.

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About ICMA

Based in Princeton Junction, NJ USA, ICMA is a non-profit association comprised of plastic card manufacturers, personalizers and related industry participants. With more than 220 members globally, representing more than 35 countries, ICMA acts as a clearinghouse for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental issues of plastic cards. Visit the ICMA website at www.icma.com.