Now Accepting Entries: Impressions Magazine’s 2025 III Awards

It’s an exciting time to be a part of the decorated-apparel business, with new ideas, new companies and new technologies seemingly debuting every day. With that in mind, we at Impressions Magazine have created something we call our Impressions Industry Impact (III) Awards to recognize the creativity and innovation that makes the industry what it is.

Intended to highlight the best of the best from across the world of custom apparel decoration, the 2025 III Awards include no fewer than 26 categories covering everything from the best decorating companies with sales of more or less than $1 million to the best new embroidery, screen-printing, heat press and digital decorating tech to the best new blank apparel and screen-printing and embroidery designs. To see the 14 winners from the 2024 III Awards, click here.

Entry is FREE and open to any company or decorator currently doing business in the U.S or Canada. Deadline for entries is March 1, 2025. (For a complete list of categories and rules, click here.) To enter, simply e-mail the following to Impressions Magazine content director, Adam Cort, at [email protected]:

• An indication of the category the product/service/company is being entered in
• A description of the product/service/company being entered and what makes it a winner (100 words minimum, but feel free to write as much as you want!)
• A high-res image (or images) of the product/service/company being entered (written permission authorizing editorial use of the image or images will also be necessary)
• Any brochures/spec sheets you might have, providing as much additional information as possible on the product/service/company being entered

Winners will be recognized online and in the April 2025 issue of Impressions Magazine. Again, it doesn’t cost a penny to throw your hat in the ring, so what are you waiting for! The list of categories included in this year’s awards is as follows:

Business:

1. Best decorating company with sales of $1 million or more annually
2. Best decorating company with sales of $1 million or less annually
3. Best screen-printing shop
4. Best digital-decorating/heat-pressing shop
5. Best embroidery shop

Equipment/technology:

1. Best new embroidery tech:
2. Best new screen-printing tech
3. Best new heat-pressing tech
4. Best new digital decorating tech
5. Best New Online Services/BMS system

Marketing:

1. Best E-Commerce Store/Platform
2. Social Media/Influencer Award
3. Most Innovative Marketing Initiative/Concept
4. Best Business or Shop Logo

Apparel:                               

1. Best New Casual Wear/T-shirt
2. Best New Headgear
3. Best New Athletic Apparel
4. Best New Placketwear
5. Best New Activewear

Innovation/Design:

1. T-Shirt of the Year
2. Screen Printing Design of the Year
3. Embroidery Design of the Year
4. Digital Decorating Design of the Year
5. Most creative decorating initiative/design

Community:                        

1. Green Award for Environmental Business Initiatives/Practices
2. Social Justice (Internal DEI efforts and worker empowerment)

To see the complete rules governing the 2025 III Awards click here.