Dexter High School Students Recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design

A group of students at Dexter High School (DHS) were recently honored in the 2026 Print Excellence Awards competition.

This competition is presented by the Graphic Media Alliance (GMA) and is an annual Print Excellence Awards program honoring schools across Ohio, Michigan, and Northern Kentucky for outstanding achievement in graphic design.

GMA is a leading regional trade association serving nearly 300 commercial printers, suppliers, and partners throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Northern Kentucky.  It’s “dedicated to advancing the industry through advocacy, workforce development, education, and member-focused programs that support growth and operational success.”

The DHS students who were honored put together their own press release to get the word out on this unique and cool achievement.

“Dexter High School is proud to announce it has been recognized with a total of five awards in the 2026 Print Excellence Awards competition, presented by Graphic Media Alliance (GMA). This latest recognition reinforces the students’ reputation for delivering exceptional creativity and craftsmanship in print excellence.”

The DHS students honored with 2026 Print Excellence Awards were:

• 1 Gold Award – Sarah Glover

• 1 Silver Award – Azura Lane

• 3 Bronze Awards – Teagan Luken, Gabe Wheeler and Audrey Owen-Smith

This year’s competition received 689 entries, including 348 entries from member companies and a record-setting 341 student entries, “highlighting both the strength of today’s commercial printing industry and the growing pipeline of future industry talent.”

GMA recognized DHS “for exceeding the rigorous standards of the competition and demonstrating excellence across multiple categories.”

Entries were evaluated by an independent panel of respected, out-of-area judges, including Michael Klyn (retired, Peake DeLancey Printers, Hyattsville, MD) and Jeff Ekstein (Willow Printing Group, Ontario).

Each submission underwent careful review and deliberation, with judges noting that the overall quality of work was exceptionally high, making many categories highly competitive.

According to DHS, all Gold Award winners from the regional competition will advance to association-wide judging for Best of Category and Best of Show honors, which will be announced in August at the 2026 Print Excellence Awards Grand Ceremony and is sponsored by Millcraft. Select winners from the Print Excellence Awards will also advance to the national-level Americas Print Awards, recognizing the best print work from across the United States.

Photo: DHS student and Gold award winner Sarah Glover with her teacher, Nick Stanko. Photo: DHS