July 21 2003 Boston, MA - Sappi Limited, through its annual 'Ideas that Matter'-grant program, has donated $1,000,000 to graphic designers around the world to design projects for the non-profit organizations of their choice. This year in North America, 16 winners were selected from nearly 400 entries – almost double the number of applications received in 2002 and the most entries ever received in North America. "Print engages people like no other medium, grabbing their attention, sparking their imaginations, and motivating them to act," said Kathy Walters, Sappi Fine Paper North America President and CEO. "Sappi has been committed to celebrating brilliant designs in print for many years. The record number of entries this year is a testament to designers' commitment to their communities and to the undeniable impact of print. That's why the Sappi 'Ideas That Matter'-program has been so successful in not only garnering participation by designers, but, more importantly, in making a difference to the non-profit organizations they support." Sappi Limited, Sappi Fine Paper North America's parent company, introduced the 'Ideas that Matter'-program in 1999. Since then, Sappi has annually awarded a combined US$1,000,000 to chosen designers in North America, Europe, and South Africa to create materials for community organizations. Each designer is eligible for a grant of up to US$50,000. In the past, winners have designed advertising campaigns, brochures, posters, and other materials. DK Holland received an 'Ideas that Matter'-grant in 2002, which she used to create a brochure and annual report for the Literacy Assistance Center in New York, working with designers from Whitehouse & Company. "The grant played an integral role in sustaining this organization, which had fallen on particularly hard times after the tragedy of September 11th," said Holland. "The materials we were able to produce helped tremendously with the Center's fundraising efforts, and the Sappi paper we used made the pieces really shine. We're grateful to Sappi for providing this unique and important opportunity both to designers and non-profits." An independent panel of judges composed of top graphic designers and representatives of leading philanthropic organizations reviewed each application to determine the North American winners. This year's panel included Ron Jeffries, The Jeffries Association, Santa Monica, California; Fred Ritchin, PixelPress, New York, New York; Stefan Sagmeister, Sagmeister, Inc, New York, New York; Michael Weymouth, Weymouth Design, Boston, Massachusetts; and Jurek Wajdowicz, Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios, Inc, New York, New York. Sappi Fine Paper North America Sappi Fine Paper North America is the pre-eminent manufacturer of coated fine paper in North America. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with four paper mills located in Skowhegan and Westbrook, Maine; Muskegon, Michigan; and Cloquet, Minnesota. Sappi Fine Paper North America is a division of the global company, Sappi Limited, the world's largest producer of coated fine paper. To find out more, please visit our website at www.sappi.com. Sappi Fine Paper North America's 2003 'Ideas that Matter'-grant winners are: Designer/Design firm/Organization City Non-profit cause Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Save TFP/College Drinking Awareness Sydnee MacKay/David Stairs Mt Pleasant, MI Designers Without Borders Savage Design Group Houston, TX High Risk Neonatal Follow-up Program Studiovertex Seattle, WA Red Feather Development Group Lowercase Inc Chicago, IL Make-a-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois Brainforest Inc Chicago, IL Gilda's Club Chicago Modern Dog Design Company Seattle, WA Boomtown Café University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL AIGA Design for Democracy Design is Good Los Angeles, CA Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Adolescent Medicine Freelance Chandler, AZ Arizona Commission on the Arts Bobby Martin Jr New York, NY Abyssinian Baptist Church of the City of New York Motive Design Phoenix, AZ Friends for Life Animal Sanctuary Casa Valencia Minneapolis, MN CENTRO-Minneapolis Mainframe Media and Design Chester, NJ Facing Forward Foundation Iron Design Ithaca, NY Southern Tier AIDS Program Signals Design Group Vancouver, BC Canstruction Vancouver