For the last 12 years, the National Stationery Show has featured a "Best New Product Awards" competition to recognize great merchandise in a variety of categories. This year's show - held May 18-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City - added a new dimension to the Best New Product Awards: the addition of "Think Green" categories featuring eco-friendly items.

"Wood Grain Desk Set" ($150) from Elum Designs, Inc. (800/536-3586) won for Think Green: Desk Accessories.

I was among the panel of judges whose task it was to review 375 new products presented in 12 categories - all on display in the Best New Products area located at the back of the show floor. With so many great products, it was definitely a challenge to define which were truly the best of the best. At the end of the first day of the show, the following companies were presented with circular-shaped, blue-hued awards, which - in keeping with the "Think Green" theme - were made from 100 percent recycled bottle glass:

Desk Accessories: OBLONG (Bainbridge Island, WA) for "BoxTote" - a stylish and sturdy tote made of laminated paper, ideal for carrying paperwork, file folders, magazines and anything else that shouldn't be bent or crumpled.
Think Green: Desk Accessories: Elum Designs, Inc. (San Diego, CA) for its "Wood Grain Desk Set" - a collection of varying-sized letterpress notecards and custom envelopes, each designed with the latest interior-design color trends and packaged in a custom-printed fabric box.
 

"Opulence" seating scroll ($800) from Bridal Tapestry (781/891-9966) won in Luxury.

Lifestyle/Specialty Gift: Driscoll Design (Seattle, WA) for "Boutique Matchboxes" - individually hand-glittered boxes containing colored matches that complement the box design.
Think Green: Lifestyle/Specialty Gift: Peridot Paper (Washington, DC) for "Gone Green Gift Wrapping Kit" - an eco-friendly gift-wrapping kit consisting of 100 percent recycled giftwrap and natural ribbon, presented in an elegant box.

Luxury: Bridal Tapestry (Waltham, MA) for "Opulence" - a seating scroll featuring a pure-silk mat, a rosette-shaped brooch with Swarovski crystals and a luxurious ribbon.
Think Green: Luxury: Eccolo Ltd./Made in Italy (Brooklyn, NY) for "Terra Journal" - a journal made from recycled leather that features lined paper from a certified, well-managed regrowth forest.

"Original Decorative Packing Tape" ($7.99/roll; or $14.99/set of two) from FancyThat! (619/670-8766) won in Paper Craft/Scrapbooking and was also the Delegates' Choice.

Paper Craft/Scrapbooking: FancyThat! (La Mesa, CA) for "The Original Decorative Packing Tape" - an innovative product that brings easy style to the outside of a shipping box containing gifts.
Think Green: Paper Craft/Scrapbooking: ClearBags (El Dorado Hills, CA) for "Biodegradable Clear Bags" - a biodegradable, compostable and sustainable alternative to traditional packaging, for stationery and card packaging.

Party: The Fab Fob Company, LLC (Drake, CO) for "Fobbie" - a four-inch, slotted square or round card that is adorned with a greeting or personal photo, allowing ribbon to be weaved through in opposite directions, cinching the package tightly and eliminating the need for bows.
Think Green: Party: OOTS! (Santa Fe, NM) for Handmade Seed Paper Ornaments, a collection of 25 different ornaments and 10 minis that can be planted to grow flowers, herbs, vegetables or trees.

Social Stationery: Design Design, Inc. (Grand Rapids, MI) for its "Christmas LED Greeting Card" - a holiday card featuring three mice with angel wings and glittered halos, illuminated with LED fiber-optic lights.

"Cupcake Delight" handmade cards ($5 each) from BiteSize Cards (917/846-7135) won for Think Green: Social Stationery.

Think Green: Social Stationery: BiteSize Cards (Maspeth, NY) for "Cupcake Delight" - a handmade greeting card featuring textured cardstock, red buttons, and a cupcake bottom made from used Starbucks coffee sleeves and other discarded corrugated cardboard.

Additionally, 23 members of the National Stationery Show Delegates program - an elite group of veteran stationery retailers - reviewed the entries to determine the second annual "Delegates' Choice" award winner. They selected FancyThat! (La Mesa, CA) for "The Original Decorative Packing Tape" - which also took top honors in the Paper Craft/Scrapbooking category.

Winners were selected based on innovative product design or concept, how the product answers an industry need, aesthetic appeal, creative use of materials and innovative packaging. "These exhibitors are innovators and trend-setters in an ever-evolving social-stationery industry," says Patti Stracher, show manager. "Each product that captured the attention of our judges exemplifies creativity, functionality and fun - and, in the case of our 'Think Green' winners, social responsibility. These companies are to be commended for their ingenuity and continued efforts to provide the industry with fresh resources."

"Boutique Matchboxes" ($5 each) from Driscoll Design (206/789-1978) won in Lifestyle/Specialty Gift.

For more information on next year's National Stationery Show, please contact GLM, a dmg world media business, at 800/272-SHOW or go to www.nationalstationeryshow.com.