Yupo Announces 2006 Wally Award Winners

A distinguished panel of four judges has selected three designs for top honors in Yupo Corporation America's fourth annual "Wally Awards." The winning entries best showcased creativity, originality, and functionality in leveraging the unique attributes of YUPO synthetic paper. The judges also nominated eight additional entries as semi-finalists in the "Designer's Choice" category. The winner of the Designer's Choice Award will be chosen by online voters and announced in March 2007. To view the projects and cast your vote, visit http://www.wallyawards.com.

"It's incredible to see the range and quality of projects that come in each year," says Martin Fiorillo, Vice President, Marketing and Distribution Sales, at Yupo Corporation America. "Designers truly understand YUPO's unique attributes and are constantly pushing the boundaries with their creations."

The three Wally Award winners were chosen from among numerous submissions ranging from brochures, labels and menus to posters, maps and watercolor paintings.


Blueline Silkscreen Promotion
One of the three Wally Awards was given to Blueline Design for its Blueline Silkscreen self promotional piece. To promote their capabilities to select prospective clients in the museum, design and architecture industries, the company used 3.5" x 11" YUPO Translucent sheets, printed on both sides with multiple types of silk screen inks allowing for various finishes. Gate-folded to encompass an informational insert and enclosed in an A4 Baronial, the paper translucency enables pertinent information available on the insert to pierce through. The interplay among the finishes, colors and shapes, give a hint of what can be accomplished and yet it holds a mystery of what is really on the other side.

In an industry that operates with increasingly advanced technology, using the "old school" technique of silkscreen printing on a modern and luxurious material can be rewarding for both the designer/printer and end-user. YUPO synthetic paper was chosen for its unique surface, which is perfect for the screened inks and various finishes used in this piece. Its translucency also allows the employment of both surfaces and beyond, in one side viewing.


Drop Paper Bowl
Another Wally Awards was presented to the architect/designer Liming Rao for his Drop Paper Bowl. Conceptually, the bowl is intended to explore the unique relationship between paper as a material and as a vessel for liquid. The smooth and organic form of this creation was inspired by the simplicity of droplets of rain on a flower petal. This imaginative design takes on the challenge of allowing a paper product to hold water without using any other substances. Since YUPO synthetic paper is 100% waterproof, it was an excellent material choice to meet the design and conceptual requirements of the project.


Born Shoe Catalog
The third Wally Award was given to the Kátalina Group for its Born Shoe Catalog. This unique portfolio of imagery presents the Born Fall 2006 Footwear Collection and draws its inspiration from the design team's experiences shooting photography in Hood River, OR and its surrounding area. The team withstood nearly 30 consecutive days and nights of rain enveloped in the rich green mosses of the Pacific Northwest. To convey a sense of fog, rain and moss in the catalog, the team chose to use YUPO Translucent. This synthetic paper was an ideal material to showcase the handcrafted footwear, as its slightly gray tint and translucence are reminiscent of the design team's foggy journey. The paper's 100% waterproof quality also made it a most certain nod to the nonstop rain endured on the trip.

Winners of the 2006 Wally Awards receive a cash prize of US$1,000, in addition to a $500 gift certificate towards PunchStock photography and a customized Wally Award statue. The winning entries are featured on the http://www.yupo.com and http://www.wallyawards.com.

The Wally Awards program is open to all projects created on YUPO synthetic papers that have not been previously submitted. For more information on the Yupo Wally Awards, visit http://www.wallyawards.com.

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