Paperboard Package of the Year
All Packaging Company
SlideBoxCR SB200
Board: 18 pt. Candesce® SBS from Clearwater Paper Corp.
Most of the products in today’s growing cannabis segment are packaged in jars, bottles, or tubes. While these solutions may address federal regulations that require child resistance, they don’t do much to build brand equity or consumer loyalty. That’s where the SlideBoxCR folding carton comes into play. A patent-pending design that required 17 iterations to perfect, this carton masterfully fulfills the cannabis industry’s dual requirements of safety and standout branding.
Folding Carton of the Year
Thoro Packaging
Lancer Legacy Youth Treatment
This glamorous folding carton was designed in the spirit of a beautiful shell. Inside is a rare and precious pearl: an ultra high-end skincare treatment. To underscore the value and exclusivity of its “pearl,” this package design spared no expense when it came to embellishment. Perhaps most striking is the choice to forgo printed graphics and text for foil stamping throughout. This adds a feeling of glam that truly elevates the design and gives the package a radiant glow. The outer sleeve features a similarly striking foil stamped pattern, as well as a soft touch application to provide a sleek feeling. Attention to detail continues throughout: hidden magnets serve as a closure mechanism, and even the area underneath the lid is foil stamped and embossed. With all of these details and effects, it is clear that both package and product are uncommon treasures to admire and cherish.
Rigid Box of the Year
Hub Folding Box Company
Inniskillin 40th Anniversary
Positioned to compete in the duty-free luxury category where opulent products sell for thousands of dollars, the Inniskillin 40th Anniversary icewine required high-end packaging to echo the unmatched luxury of the product inside. This sumptuous rigid box fits the bill, engaging the senses in an extended and exciting unboxing experience.
Innovation Award
Graphic Packaging International
GF Harvest IntegraFlexTM Collapsible Cup
Board: 18pt SUS from Graphic Packaging International
In delivering an innovative new format for on-the-go eaters, IntegraFlex™ combines the best attributes of a folding carton with those of a flexible package. Delivered in a filled but semi-collapsed state, the package consists of a paperboard sleeve with an attached flexible liner that contains product. The consumer “pops” open the package by pressing the two sides until they lock into position. Then she can open the liner, add liquid, microwave if necessary, and eat directly from the package. A highly versatile design that’s ideal for a range of dry foods to which liquid is added, this package could have far reaching implications for the dry foods market.
Eco Award
WestRock
Project Ironman
Board: Board: 24pt CarrierKote® CNK from WestRock
As craft beers continue to take market share from classic brands like Budweiser and Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch is looking to recoup consumers with standout packaging. In tackling this challenge, WestRock introduced two new formats: BasketWrap®, a basket-style carton that enables consumers to see the reclosable aluminum beer bottles inside (which are obscured in traditional battery boxes), and Cluster-Side™ Hero, which features a side-to-top opening as well as a “hero” window that reveals the primary packaging.
Judges’ Awards
American Carton Company
Enhance Your Brand Promo Package
Board: 20 pt. board from Neenah Paper, 20 pt. SBS from WestRock, 20 pt. foilboard, 20 pt. URB
Promotional packages pull out all the stops: intriguing structures, stunning finishing effects, and unique tactile elements—anything that can show potential customers the amazing capabilities the package manufacturer has to offer. American Carton Company took this to heart in their “Enhance Your Brand” promo pack. With the goal of educating customers about all of the special effects they can produce to increase brand power, the pack features a stunning carrier with six cartons inside, each with equally exciting tactile and visual effects. Most of these value-added effects were produced in-house and in-line, showing prospects that folding cartons are a versatile, brand-forward, and affordable packaging solution.
JohnsByrne Co.
Ryan Adams Prisoner: End of World Box Set
This vinyl boxset for Ryan Adam’s 17th studio album, Prisoner, provides an interactive experience that is sure to inspire and engage fans. An instant collector’s item, the box opens to create a stage, replete with sound and light features, on which fans can arrange paper cutouts of Adams and his bandmates. Additionally, the design has a hidden door that drops down to reveal a secret vinyl, as well as invisible ink that is exposed by blue light to reveal a secret website that offers additional content. This complex design didn’t come without its challenges: JohnsByrne Company had to grapple with crossovers of multiple rigid wrap components, very straight and square doors with dual locks, running wires, as well as a battery compartment that would power the box only when a trap door is opened. Clearly, however, this hard work paid off. Rock on!
All Packaging Company
Spring Catalog Three Bottle Set, Citrus Vitality & EO Basics Sets
Board: 18 pt. Candesce® SBS from Clearwater Paper Corp.
Manufactured for a three-bottle set of essential oils, this carton is a triumph in the art of precision. The outer sleeve features a laser cutout of the brand’s logo that aligns precisely with an embossed version of the same logo on the inner carton. Cutting details this fine and alignment this precise are almost unheard of in the industry to date. Also notable is soft matte white effect that was achieved by printing foil board with white. The printed white also knocks out in certain areas on the bottom of the carton and the insert, revealing the logo in silver matte. The extremely precise laser cutting as well as the detailed embossing and interesting knocked out pattern areas all produce a premium presentation and an outstanding carton overall.