„“I am amazed each year at how well our members continue to raise the bar in terms of using their talent and imagination to develop unique, practical and visually appealing cards,““ said Jeffrey E. Barnhart, founder and executive director of ICMA. Judges of the Élan Awards were Annich McIntosh, editor, C&M Publications; Fredy Yiap, editor of CardsNow! Asia; and James Coelho of Barnes International. Each entry was selected in a blind competition, unidentified by company. The delegates onsite selected the People’s Choice Award. Winners and finalists were chosen in each of the following award categories: Best Phone Card Winner: Rak Samac / Paguristes Eremita Manufacturer Entrant: Marimpex d.o.o. Customer for Card: HT-Hrvatski Telekom (Croatian Telecom) Location: Zagreb, Croatia Best Financial Card Winner: “Zing Touch’n Go” MasterCard Side Card Manufacturer Entrant: Goldpac Secur-Card Ltd./Gemplus Customer for Card: Hong Leong Bank Location: FuXi QianShan ZhuHai, People’s Republic of China Best Non-Financial Winner: MQ ClubCard Manufacturer Entrant: Inplastor AB Customer for Card: XPonCard A/S Location: Motala, Sweden People’s Choice Winner: A Comfy Chair (Starbuck’s Gift Card) Manufacturer Entrant: Travel Tags, Inc. Customer for Card: Starbucks Location: Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota USA Technical Achievement Winner: The Tachograph Card Germany Manufacturer Entrant: Trüb AG Customer for Card: KBA Location: Aarau, Switzerland LNeuman@icma.com www.icma.com