The European Carton Excellence Award (ECEA) is now open for 2024 entries. Recognised as the most prestigious and respected award in the European sustainable cartonboard packaging industry, the award is hosted by Pro Carton and the European Carton Makers Association (ECMA), which acknowledges, rewards, and challenges partners across the cartonboard supply chain to showcase their most innovative, fibre-based packaging designs.
Attracting leading suppliers, manufacturers, and designers from across Europe, the award has encouraged some of the best sustainable packaging designs to date. Entrants have until 24 May 2024 – with no deadline extension – to submit their award-worthy designs.
Entries can be submitted across four core categories:
- Food & Drink Packaging - Virgin Fibre
- Food & Drink Packaging - Recycled Fibre
- General Packaging - Virgin Fibre
- General Packaging - Recycled Fibre
All award submissions will automatically be entered into the Carton of the Year Award, while entrants can also choose to enter the Sustainability and/or Innovation Award. The public will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite design worthy of taking home the Public Award. Platinum and Gold Award winners will also be chosen.
Winners are selected by an esteemed judging panel of packaging experts representing different stakeholders from the cartonboard value chain. The judges will assess each entry against rigorous criteria, including graphic and structural design, production techniques, cost-efficiency, ecology, innovation, and convenience. The 2023 jury panel consisted of Satkar Gidda, leading consultant for branding and design, Susanne Lippitsch, leading packaging designer and founder of SL Design; and Sanjeev Das, Global Packaging Director in the Foods and Ice Cream business for Unilever.
The 2023 Carton of the Year accolade was awarded to Spanish carton converter, Alzamora Group and cartonboard manufacturer, Stora Enso for the innovative packaging design for SAS LABOGERS’ GERnétic. The judges described the “expertly designed package” as “the perfect demonstration of how you can achieve incredible results with cartonboard”.
Winfried Muehling, Director of Marketing & Communications at Pro Carton commented, “As consumers increasingly opt for sustainable packaging solutions, the ECEA places the spotlight on innovative packaging solutions for products that not only resonate with consumers, but also help the environment at the same time. The Pro Carton and ECMA team are extremely excited to unite with the cartonboard supply chain in Berlin later this year to host the ECEA 2024 and celebrate the latest developments and innovations of cartonboard across Europe.”
The final deadline for entries is 24 May 2024, rules apply. Winners will be announced at the official Awards Gala on 19 September 2024 in Berlin, Germany, during the annual ECMA congress.
For more information and to enter the European Carton Excellence Award 2024, visit here: https://www.procarton.com/awards/european-carton-excellence-award/
Pro Carton also runs the Pro Carton Young Designers Award (PCYDA) 2024 and Pro Carton Student Video Award (PCSVA) 2024 which promote sustainable packaging innovation and creativity across Europe and celebrate the up-and-coming talents across sustainable packaging design and filmmaking. Both competitions, which are free to enter, encourage students to learn about the packaging industry, whilst simultaneously offering them the chance to enhance their creative skills.
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