PIA MidAmerica’s Graphic Excellence Competition (GraphEx) was created in 1989 to recognize the outstanding abilities of print producers to transform paper and ink into outstanding forms of communication. Each year dozens of companies submit hundreds of entries to showcase their capabilities and acknowledge their employees’ and customers’ creativity and technical abilities.
Since the industry is comprised of very diverse companies, the competition recognizes this fact and has over 60 categories in four different divisions. The categories reflect products such as: annual reports, brochures, letterheads, newsletters, direct marketing, presentation folders, cross media campaigns, and much, much more. Divisions are determined by size of company/process. Division I – 1-25 employees; Division II – 26 – 75 employees; Division III – 76+ employees; and Division IV – digital print entries.
Entries winning Best of Category are recognized with a specially designed certificate and automatically compete for Best of Show recognition. Best of Category winners receive free entry into Printing Industries of America’s Premier Print Competition. Best of Show and Best of Division winning entries are recognized in various Association publications and media press releases.
Deadline for entries is mid-February of each year and the Graphic Excellence Awards Galas are held in April/May.
