Shop! Association Names Winners of Outstanding Merchandising Achievement Awards

(PRESS RELEASE) MONTCLAIR, NJ — Shop! Association, the global trade organization dedicated to building retail environments and promoting retail brands and merchandise produced its first-ever trade show and conference, Shop! MarketPlace, last week in Austin, Texas at the Palmer Events Center. One of the highlights of the event was the 65th annual Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards, the first live judging and awards ceremony since 2019. More than 150 visual merchandising displays competed for awards at this show-within-a-show, turning the Shop! MarketPlace exhibition floor into an explosion of color, imagination, and strategic merchandising creativity.

The OMA Awards are the retail design and brand marketing industries’ most prestigious and longest-running awards contest. Entrants compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze honors in 28 categories.

In addition, three special awards are given each year:

• The Display of the Year Awards carry the highest recognition in the field of in-store marketing. A single award is granted in each of two divisions; permanent and temporary. Consideration for this esteemed award is limited to Gold award winners in each category.
• The Creative Awards honor overall imagination, creativity, and execution of at-retail merchandising design. Displays are reviewed by a panel of experienced creative directors representing various retail backgrounds. Judges choose the winning displays and honor one winner in each division (Permanent and Temporary).
• The Budget Awards go to entries that have overcome the challenge of creating and executing displays that are highly effective while being budget-friendly.

“Every brand is talking about how to create compelling retail experiences.” says Ryan Brevda, Shop! Association Vice Chairman and co-owner of Ryan Scott, Inc. “The OMA Awards are a dramatic, visual reminder that point-of-purchase designers and manufacturers have been setting the standard for retail creativity for nearly a century, and continue to raise the bar.”

The first round of the OMA judging took place in March, giving the prestigious panel of judges from top brands, retail chains, and merchandising firms their first look at the 2023 entries. The final, live round of judging took place at Shop! MarketPlace. The OMA judges worked in teams for nearly eight hours, examining and discussing the physical displays for strategic intent, excellence in design, creativity, innovation, original use of materials, effective use of space, and quality of execution.

The top OMA Award winners are:

Special Awards

• Display of the Year, Permanent Division: Marketing Alliance Group’s “Clinique-Ulta Iconic” fixture for Clinique
• Display of the Year, Temporary Division: Outform Group’s “LEGO Holiday Window” for LEGO
• Creative Award, Permanent Division: Bish Creative’s “Proximo Tequila & Whiskey Holiday” display for Proximo Spirits
• Creative Award, Temporary Division: Bish Creative’s “Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Mother’s Day” display for L’Oreal

Gold Awards

• Athletic Category (permanent): Ryan Scott Inc.’s “Fish Hippie Shop Wall” for Waterside Brands
• Beer Category (temporary): Outform Group’s “Corona Beach Spectacular” for Constellation Brands
• Wine & Liquor (permanent): Bish Creative’s “Gray Whale Gin Whale Tail” display for Deutsch Family
• Wine & Liquor (temporary): Bish Creative’s “Kraken Canned Cocktails Spectacular” for Proximo Spirits
• Books, Stationery & Office Supplies (temporary): Great Northern Corporation’s “Office Depot Back-to-School & Tax Time” display for Logitech
• Carbonated Drinks (permanent): Diseko Soluciones “Fresca Stand-Alone Display” for Arca Continental
• Carbonated Drinks (temporary): InnoMark Communications’ “Bubly Bellini Bliss Case Stacker” for PepsiCo
• Cosmetics & Fragrances (permanent): Bish Creative’s “Ralph Lauren Cityscape Display for Macy’s” for L’Oreal USA
• Cosmetics & Fragrances (temporary): Bish Creative’s “Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Mother’s Day Display” for L’Oreal
• Entertainment, Games & Toys (temporary): Outform Group’s “LEGO Holiday Window” for LEGO
• Food (permanent): Bish Creative’s “Belvita Coffee Cup” for Mondelez
• Food (temporary): WestRock’s “Easter Basket Display” for Lindt & Sprungli USA
• General Merchandise (permanent): siffron’s “Pet Treat Bar” for Petco
• General Merchandise (temporary): Outform Group’s “Holiday Snowman & Bullseye MQ Moment” display for Target
• Hair Care & Skin Care (permanent): Marketing Alliance Group’s “Clinque-Ulta Iconic Fixture” for Clinique
• Hair Care & Skin Care (temporary): Pratt Display’s “L’Oreal Pureology Counter Unit for Ulta” for L’Oreal Professional Products Division
• Healthcare (permanent): Trans World Marketing’s “Flexon Tower” for Marchon Eyewear
• Healthcare (temporary): Great Northern Instore’s “Honest Baby Endcap for Walmart” for The Honest Company
• Home & Garden (permanent): Design Phase’s “Signature Custom Kitchen Appliance Vignettes” for LG Appliances
• Personal Electronics & Software (permanent): Protagon Display’s “Sonos 8-Foot Table Display” for Sonos
• Personal Electronics & Software (temporary): Vanguard Companies’ “PopSockets 4-Way Fixture for Walmart” for PopSockets
• Snack Products (permanent): Spectas’ “Salty Snacks Endcap” for Campbell’s Snacks
• Snack Products (temporary): Boomerang RMS’ “Halloween Scary Mummy” display for PepsiCo Latin America.

You can download a full list of winners, including silver and bronze winners and the Budget Award winners, here: swm.social/2023OMA.

To see images of the winning displays, visit the Shop! MarketPlace OMA highlights page: swm.social/2023winners.

About Shop! Association

Shop! Association is a global trade association dedicated to building retail environments and promoting retail brands and merchandise. The association brings value to the global retail marketplace through its industry leadership, research programs, certifications, education and networking events. The OMA Awards are owned by Shop! Association, and are part of the Shop! Awards program which also includes the Shop! Design Awards and Shop! Global Awards. Learn more at shopassociation.org.

About SmartWork Media

SmartWork Media is dedicated to the idea that business media should strive to inform, excite and inspire business readers, and that a good business magazine can (and should) have the energy and compulsive readability of a top consumer publication. The company publishes INSTORE, INVISION, PETS+, VMSD, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, BIG PICTURE, SCREEN PRINTING and BXP magazines, as well as their respective websites and events — The INSTORE Show, IRDC, EyeInnovate, PETS+ Thrive!. Shop! MarketPlace and the Garden Center Show. Learn more at smartworkmedia.com.