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I used to think that coming in second was like kissing your sister. And even though I have a wonderful sister, we never spent time together coming in second. I have changed my mind over the years -- not about kissing my sister -- but about second place. Recognition is always a good thing, even though sometimes life imitates Get Smart and you "miss it by that much!" Seriously, if you raced in the Olympics, would you rather have a silver medal or no medal at all?
Everyone loves to get some recognition.
If you read all of my blogs, and of course you do, you would remember that my book The Paramount Chief and One Wise Woman (link to my website about the book) was entered (link to the blog) into the 2023 Print Excellence Awards for Graphic Media Alliance. It featured the work of different printers across Ohio, Kentucky, and that state just to the north of us that nobody in Columbus likes to mention. (It rhymes with witchigan.)
Well, kiss my sister and give me a silver medal -- or, at least, a certificate that says second place!
There were almost 300 printing companies involved with Graphics Media Alliance, submitting 440 entries in the nearly 40 categories. And, can you guess which category is one of the most competitive? That would be Digital Printing where the chief and his wise woman competed. Yes, Maxwell Smart was right about how close they were to the top of the heap. (If you don't get the reference, you are simply too young.)
If you want more information from the official press release, read on.
Zip Print & Copy is proud to announce it was recently awarded one 2023 Print Excellence Awards from Graphic Media Alliance.
Each year, Graphic Media Alliance holds its Print Excellence Awards competition to recognize Ohio, Michigan and northern Kentucky printers who have demonstrated printing excellence in 36 categories. New for 2023, GMA introduced a new judge, Greg Jovanovic (ColorArt, Eureka, MO.) Greg's extensive background in print production and quality control, combined with the expert knowledge of our returning judge, Jeff Ekstein (Willow Printing Group, Ontario, Canada), made for an outstanding duo as each entry underwent careful review and deliberation. The level of competition was so competitive several categories required the judges to search for minor imperfections to determine a winner. Both judges were highly impressed with the quality demonstrated in this year's contest and look forward to participating in the 2024 competition.
Graphic Media Alliance President, Andrew Schall, noted ... "The Print Excellence Awards showcases our finest offerings in Ohio, Michigan, and N. Kentucky, and this year did not disappoint. As demonstrated in this year's contest, our members continue to innovate, ensuring a bright future for our industry and our Association."
Now, I really wanted a quote. What did the judges say? Could they pass along any juicy comments of praise about my book? You know that didn't happen. It wouldn't be very professional to tell me what the judges said in secret. But, I still wanted to hear, "It's too bad that story content wasn't part of the judging! This book is just so well-written that it should have come in first!" Or, what about, "How can a book so bright and child-friendly not be best of show?" Or, maybe, "Forget Maxwell Smart! Let's select The Paramount Chief and One Wise Woman." Seriously, hopefully, somebody did say, "Through your story, you are bringing attention to folklore that kids in America would not typically be exposed to."
In the end, personally, it doesn't matter to me what some strangers on a committee think of my book. The tale is from Liberia and dedicated to my best friend and his wife from my Peace Corps days. This book was written with Daniel and Theresa in mind. And, so very fortunately, I am returning to Liberia to paint murals once again for the U.S. Embassy. While I am in Liberia, of course, I will locate my friends in River Gee to give them their personal copy of this book. I know, hands down, no competition, and absolutely for certain, they they will think it's the best children's book ever written.
Gold medal.