UK Packaging Awards 2008
Performance awards
These categories reward consistent business and individual excellence, as well as outstanding product quality. If you've enjoyed a record year or a major turnaround in fortunes, these categories are definitely aimed at you. The year under review is 1 June 2007 to 31 May 2008.
Design company of the year: UK packaging design is generally regarded as among the finest in the world, so this category promises to be hotly contested. Please supply a summary of up to 500 words on why you should win this award, plus your report and accounts. Other information, such as samples of work, will be considered too. Entries from in-house design operations should be accompanied by evidence of their financial strength and viability if they are not run as standalone businesses with their own set of accounts.
Supplier of the year: Open to suppliers of equipment, materials, consumables and services to the packaging industry, this category will reward excellence and innovation in products and customer service. Entrants to all the other categories can nominate their Supplier of the Year, with a 50-word explanation of why they should win the award. Suppliers can also enter the category without a separate nomination, but must include a submission of up to 500 words stating their case.
Environmental company of the year: This award will recognise the company that has done the most to minimise its environmental impact over the year, across operating processes, materials selection and its supply chain. The winner will have to demonstrate total commitment to environmental improvement, and as such must submit a copy of its environmental policy along with up to 500 words explaining how it has communicated its message to employees, the local community and customers.
Outstanding contribution to the industry: This award will be presented to the person who has done the most for the industry over the year under scrutiny, in areas such as correcting public misconceptions about packaging, innovation, or driving through business improvements. Entrants should submit up to 500 words stating their case. The industry will also be invited to nominate candidates for the award.
Packaging company of the year: The ultimate accolade in the packaging industry will recognise outstanding financial and business performance over the year. You will need to provide your company's report and accounts, a 500-word summary of your performance during the year, and supporting evidence such as letters of commendation from customers and samples of work.
Quality Awards
In these categories, judges will be looking at the quality of work produced. Each entry must be supported by a 250-word summary of how your work demonstrated excellence in production, including in its structure and decoration, and in some cases we will also require supporting testimony from your customers. Entries in all the Materials categories, denoted with an M, must be made predominantly from the relevant category material, but caps, components and windows can be made from other materials. All entries to the Quality Awards must have been launched commercially and companies' own promotional work is not eligible. Please read the criteria for each category carefully.
Metal packaging award: Judges will be looking for unique shapes and structures, excellent functionality, unique opening techniques, and high-quality decoration. Please supply two samples of the entire filled pack.
Corrugated packaging award: Entries in the corrugated packaging category should provide maximum product protection, minimise the risk of damage to contents, enhance supply chain efficiency, and feature high print quality. Please supply two samples of the entire filled pack.
Cartonboard packaging award: Judges will be looking for cartonboard packs that stand out on-shelf, through clever structural design, high-quality print and special finishes such as embossing or varnishes. Please supply two samples of the entire filled pack.
Glass packaging award: The glass packaging category will recognise and reward clear, frosted or coloured glass containers with unique shapes and decoration that enhances a brand. Please supply two samples of the entire filled product.
Flexible plastic packaging award: Flexible packs such as pouches, sachets, trays and films are under scrutiny in this category. Judges will be looking for high-quality print and conversion techniques, and outstanding impact. Flexible packs made from cellulose, PE, PET, PVC, PP, PS, Polyamide and bioplastics are among those under consideration. Please supply two examples of the entire filled pack.
Rigid plastics packaging award: This category will reward high-quality blowmoulded, thermoformed and injection-moulded packs made from materials including PP, PET, LDPE and HDPE, plus bioplastics. Judges will also be interested in packs that use a high proportion of recycled content while maintaining quality and durability. Please send two samples of the entire filled product.
Labelling award: Design, print quality, special effects and functionality will all be under scrutiny in this category, which invites entries from the full range of printed labels for packaging, including sleeves, pressure-sensitive, wet-glue and leaflet labels. Please supply two examples of the label affixed to the full pack.
Sustainable pack award: Judges will take into account material selection, material transportation, production processes, lightweighting efforts, and recyclability, biodegradability or reusability. Please supply two examples and a 250-word summary of how you have minimised this pack's impact on the environment.
Innovation of the year: This category will reward a pack that has brought something completely new and unexpected to the market, while delivering real benefits to a brand. Please supply two examples of the pack, plus a 250-word summary explaining why this pack is the first of its kind and the background to its development, as well as technical details of the production process.
Best packaging of a new product: Entrants should demonstrate packaging design that has been a central factor in the success of a new product. Entries should include a 250-word statement from the brand owner explaining how the product's packaging has affected its commercial success, and a 250-word statement explaining how the pack was produced. We will also need two examples of the pack you have entered.
Best re-packaging of a brand: This category will reward packaging design that has breathed new life into an established brand while staying true to its values. Judges will be looking for entrants to demonstrate that revamped packaging has led to commercial success. Please supply two examples of the pack you have entered, plus a 250-word testament from the brand owner and your own 250-word summary on how you interpreted your brief.
Retail-ready packaging: Judges will be looking for examples of outer transport cases or trays containing multiple products that can be placed directly on retail display without unpacking. Packaging will be judged on its design, structure, print quality, and ease of use to both store merchandisers and consumers. Along with a 250-word summary of the job, please supply one full pack, one flat pack (if applicable), and one that is fully constructed but empty.
Supply chain solution award: This category recognises packaging that has helped products to travel safely, conveniently and cost-effectively through the supply chain. Entries can include one-way or returnable outer-case transit packs, crates and pallets. You must supply one full pack, one flat pack (if applicable) and one pack that is fully constructed but empty, plus a 250-word summary.
Consumer convenience award: Entries to this category must demonstrate ease of opening, use, storage and disposal. Judges will reward a pack that is constructed to deliver all of these benefits. Please supply two examples of the pack you enter.
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