Pro Carton ECMA Award 2014: Europe eagerly expects the finalists

The meeting of the jury for the Pro Carton ECMA Awards at the beginning of July proved highly satisfactory: with over 120 entries from 12 European countries, the competition has taken on a broader base than ever before. In August, the finalists will be presented here on the E-News and the redesigned Pro Carton Website, and on 18. September the awards will be presented – at the Award Gala of the ECMA-Pro Carton Congress in Sorrento (Italy).

As every year, the jury reflected the entire supply chain which led to in-depth discussions and also ensured that all aspects were taken into account equally:

• Brand and design specialist Satkar Gidda (SiebertHead) acted as chairman,
• for innovations, Stan Akkermans (Mars) represented the brand owners,
• Martin Luh (Nestlé) was new to the jury and represented the procurement segment for brand owners,
• also new was the retail specialist Marco Atzberger (EHI-Retail Institute).
• Peter Klein Sprokkelhorst (packaging industry) acted as consultant to the jury for technical aspects.

What was so special at the Pro Carton ECMA Award 2014?

The entries placed great emphasis on a coherent concept in terms of product, packaging and marketing. Jury chairman Satkar Gidda was delighted with the excellent quality of the entries:

"This year we had the second highest level of entries ever. Added to that is, that we also had some superbly high quality entries. And what I have noticed is the increasing level of attention to detail that is going into the packaging designs. It is very impressive the way things are being done, the innovation that is being considered, and the judges found it equally hard to come to their conclusions. Looking at the entries from different areas and different expertise, we were able to come to a more conclusive discussion about which designs and which packaging to take forward."

In some cases, handling was a new aspect: more and more packaging is being filled in stores and needs to be prepared accordingly. Portioning and presentation of the contents are adapted to consumption habits ("ToGo", gift, tasting with friends …).

Again this year: the Pro Carton Young Designers Award

Every two years, the Pro Carton Young Designers Award is conveyed in parallel to the Pro Carton ECMA Award: to this purpose, the jury was complemented by Geert Verlinden, an innovation specialist from Van Genechten, a leading European packaging company.

Outstanding quality was again a prominent feature of the entries: starting from the actual consumer needs, models were developed as overall concepts and nearly all entries provided relevant information on production and marketing. The Pro Carton Young Designers Award always adds fresh stimuli to the supply chain, many young designers demonstrate great potential and one is bound to meet them again as partners in the supply chain in the coming years.

Announcement of finalists and award winners for both awards

The finalists of both competitions will be published in mid-August on the websites of Pro Carton ECMA Award and Pro Carton Young Designers Award.

On 18. September 2014, all award winners will receive their awards as part of the Award Gala of the new joint ECMA Pro Carton Congresses. The results will be online at midnight: with print-ready photos and background information on their success.