The winners of the Pro Carton Young Designers Award 2023 – sponsored by Turkey’s leading packaging specialists Duran Doğan and Kartonsan – were announced at a glamourous ceremony in Seville, Spain last night (21 September).
Recognising the best young design talent in Europe, the winners were announced by Horst Bittermann, Pro Carton’s Director General, in front of an audience of packaging industry leaders. This year’s ceremony featured awards in four categories - Creative Cartonboard Packaging (Food & Drink); Creative Cartonboard Packaging (All Other); Sustainability and the Public Vote Award.
More than 750 entries were received from 140-plus institutions across Europe. These were reviewed in detail by a judging panel that represented the entire packaging value chain. Satkar Gidda, former Sales and Marketing Director of SiebertHead, headed the jury, supported by Sanjeev Das, Unilever’s Global Packaging Director in the Foods and Ice Cream business; Alican Duran, Managing Director of Duran Dogan and Chairman of KASAD; and Kemal Ozkirim, Marketing Manager of Kartonsan.
Creativity for Confectionary
UK-based student Nang Htwe Htwe Lwin, the designer of UrbanBITE, took top spot in the Creative Cartonboard Packaging: Food & Drink category.
Studying at Ravensbourne University, the student created an environmentally dynamic cartonboard design for confectionary products. This innovative design can be effectively constructed from a single cut piece of A4 paper cartonboard and offers a sustainable alternative to plastic containers. Further to this, it is easy to use and versatile, as the dimensions of this packaging can be customised for specific products. Sanjeev Das commented that this design is “an amazing and unique packaging concept, well-designed and aesthetically pleasing”.
Ingenuity with Cartonboard
Taking the top accolade in the Creative Cartonboard Packaging (All Other) category for their SandKit design was trio Maria Paula Monroy Vargas, Sarah Drauschke and Margo Rindle from the FH Münster - MSD Münster School of Design in Germany.
SandKit is a cartonboard box that functions as a sanding block, dispenser and much more. This environment-friendly design is an essential tool for DIY projects and home repairs, with its intuitive and clever packaging design. The distinct coloured boxes cleverly indicate the different levels of the sandpapers’ grit, whilst the cut-out window in the packaging allows consumers to touch the sandpaper and its texture before purchase. Satkar Gidda described SandKit as “simple to use, economical and a practical way to sandpaper”.
Tap the Pack for Sustainability
Norwegian student, Johannes Nyborg Heyning from Arkitektur - og designhøgskolen in Oslo took home the Sustainability Award for the design Tapout.
This sustainable, consumer-focused design provides a highly creative battery package which collects both used and unused batteries in the same package. The simple cartonboard push and slide mechanism allows used batteries to be stored easily within the perforated slot. The unique design enables consumers to keep an eye on how many fully charged batteries are still available within the pack. The judges were hugely impressed, commenting that “this design provides a unique and value-adding alternative to the plastic packaging which currently exists.”
The public vote to Protect Your Drink
The general public were invited to choose their favourite entry in the Public Vote. The winner of this prestigious award was FH Joanneum student duo, Emily Klein and Brandon Escalona, with their entry PopCap.
The Austrian students created a sustainable and ground-breaking solution to help people protect their drinks. The cartonboard design is accessible and easy to use, consumers simply snap the protective cap onto their cup and pop the lid open to enjoy your beverage. This demonstrates the accessibility and practicality of the design, as well as the structural capabilities of cartonboard. This simple solution has a catchy design which can be personalised for brands or can feature promotional messages.
Winfried Muehling, Head of Marketing & Communications at Pro Carton, said: “We were delighted to receive more than 750 unique entries for this year’s Pro Carton Young Designers Awards. It was extraordinary to see so many young designers create truly innovative designs, which demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of cartonboard. Well done to everyone who entered this year and a huge congratulations to the 2023 winners. We look forward to seeing all the amazing things these inspiring young designers will achieve, and the impact they will inevitably have on the future of the packaging industry.”
See the designs here: https://www.procarton.com/awards/pro-carton-young-designers-award/