Under the Stars by Martin Knölker, Lili Ruf, Lysann Scharnberg and Trisha Staab - SRH University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Storytelling took centre stage at the 2026 Pro Carton Student Video Award (PCSVA), as the winning films were unveiled on 17 September during the Awards Gala at Rome’s Villa Miani. The award celebrates the most creative and impactful short films exploring the benefits and potential of cartonboard.
Now in its seventh year, the PCSVA continues to showcase the breadth of emerging filmmaking talent across Europe. The 2026 entries brought together a diverse mix of filmmaking techniques, genres and visual approaches, with judges Simon Bolton (Head Judge & Advertising Consultant), Bady Minck (Award-Winning Film Producer) and Winfried Muehling (Pro Carton) recognising films for their emotional depth, environmental focus and inventive use of cartonboard as a central storytelling element.
Taking the top prize, the PCSVA 2026 Winner is A Fistful of Cartonboard, created by Unė Kviet, Ahang Bofelo, Levan Macharadze and Šimon Dančiak from SRH University of Applied Sciences Berlin and guided by lecturer Gilbert Beronneau. The film explores the urgency of addressing the challenges facing the planet, using cartonboard as a creative tool for activism and communication.
The Public Award winner was decided by an open vote over the summer months, giving everyone - from consumers to industry colleagues and academics a chance to have their say. Public engagement more than doubled in 2026, with over 5,500 votes cast in total.
The 2026 Public Award went to The Sustainable Helper, created by Hüseyin Batıhan Güngör from Middle East Technical University and guided by lecturer Damla Tönük. The film celebrates cartonboard as the unlikely hero of everyday problems, using a series of examples to show how a simple piece of cartonboard can be folded, adapted and repurposed to solve all sorts of small challenges around us.
The 2026 Highly Commended video was awarded to Under the Stars, created by Martin Knölker, Lili Ruf, Lysann Scharnberg and Trisha Staab from SRH University of Applied Sciences Berlin. Under the Stars is a story about how a misunderstanding becomes an unexpected love story when a young man aims to impress a shop assistant by creating glowing cartonboard lanterns that transform the shop into a night sky.
Commended for its efforts, A Carton Love Story, by Anna Viktoria Litrop, Jessica Pircher and Belinda Stary from Höhere Graphische Bundes-Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, follows the story of a young man and woman and the handmade carton elephant that becomes an unlikely connection that brings them together. The film shows how a simple carton creation can become something meaningful.
Also Commended, was a Carton Home by Sofia Corso de Araujo, Arina Kirshina, UmmeAimen Umer and Arantes Pinto from SRH University of Applied Sciences Heidelberg Campus Berlin. Carton Home follows a couple who rescue a cat sheltering from the rain in a cartonboard box. Through playful animation, the film showcases the comfort and versatility of cartonboard.
Winfried Muehling, Head of Marketing & Communications at Pro Carton, added: “From environmental activism to everyday human connection, this year’s films found distinctive ways to communicate what the material can do. What stood out was the ability of the students to turn a packaging story into something audiences can feel, understand and remember. Every finalist brought their own perspective and voice to the competition, and they deserve enormous recognition for everything they have achieved.”
The Pro Carton Student Video Award 2026 is sponsored by Stora Enso. Burgo, MM Group and Umka are joint sponsors of the student award programme hosted by Pro Carton.
For the full list of 2026 PCSVA winners and finalists, visit the Pro Carton website here.
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