The design team from Karbach Brewing Company celebrating their victory in 2025.
Take a good look at the rows of brightly decorated beverage cans at any grocery, convenience, or big box retail store. One of those cans could be the next champion of the seventh annual Colored by INX Can Design Contest. Submissions are now open, and any commercial metal packaging can design produced by an INX customer before January 1, 2026 is eligible for consideration.
Celebrating Excellence in Beverage Can Design and Metal Decorating
Jeanie Morris, the INX marketing and promotions manager responsible for organizing this event, says the contest represents a chance for those in the industry to showcase outstanding artistry and join a distinguished group of brand owners, designers, and metal decorators who have been recognized in the past.
“Each year the Colored by INX Can Design Contest raises the bar for what is possible in beverage can design and decorating. It’s a great opportunity for our customers to showcase their best work, tell their story, and demonstrate how thoughtful color choices bring a brand to life,” she commented.
“Color drives shelf appeal in packaging, and this contest celebrates the process and collaboration it takes to get there. A great can design reflects the brand, the designer, the decorator, and the teamwork required to translate a vision. That blend of packaging creativity and technical execution is what makes this contest so compelling.”
The design team at Karbach Brewing Company in Houston knows the feeling. They won the top prize last year with their can design entry for Dunkels & Dragons, a German-style dark lager beer. It was also the slimmest margin of victory in the six year history of the contest. The entry won by just one point after the vote results from the five judges and social media were tabulated.
Color Standards, Judging Panel, and 2026 Contest Timeline
Morris confirmed the contest rules will remain the same. Each submitted design entry requires the use of at least one color from the INX Color Catalog, which is recognized as the metal decoration industry’s only true color standard. Used in conjunction with the INX Color Perfection program, it streamlines the aluminum can design to production process and help products reach the market in a shorter amount of time.
While the judging and social media voting process also remains intact, three new judges have been added to the panel of experts. Returning from last year will be Sarah Jacks, Solutions Sales Representative for INX, and Marshall Thompson, the co-founder of digital aluminum can printing company Canworks, in Austin, Texas. New to the roster is Stephanie Hart, the co-founder and co-CEO of Hart Print in Montreal; Jessica Jacobsen, editor of Beverage Industry magazine; and Michelle Russell, co-editor of The Canmaker magazine in the United Kingdom.
This year’s contest dates and times call for entries to be postmarked by March 30. The judges will determine the five finalists and those design entries will be announced on April 20. Each judge gets one vote, and public input via INX’s social media will also count as one vote. The social voting will take place from April 20-22, and the winner will be announced on April 29.
“We are excited to shine a light on the brands and decorators who are driving packaging forward,” summed up Morris. “It’s great to see the creativity and craftsmanship that defines this industry, and we are excited to celebrate the teams behind the development of these standout cans. We are always impressed by what our customers create, and we expect this year to be our best yet.”
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