What can I enter?
Entries can be submitted in 3 categories:
- Creative Cartonboard Packaging | Food & Drink: The focus lies on cartonboard as the most sustainable food and beverages packaging material and its recyclability. Give us a taste of great design!
- Creative Cartonboard Packaging | All Other – excluding Food & Drink: This category focuses on using the most sustainable packaging material for non-food packaging. Everything needs packaging, have a look around yourself and get inspired!
- Sustainability: Show us your ideas as to how cartonboard can reduce or replace plastic and help us protect nature!
There is an additional category: the “Public Award“. The public will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite from a shortlist of entries (see below).
The brief is kept as open as possible to allow for maximum creativity in packaging and cartonboard design.
How to enter – entry procedure:
Initial submission should be made online. Entry forms should be completed in English.
Please add studentawards@procarton.com to your contacts to ensure you receive notification that your submission has been received successfully.
Please only send us the physical 3D cartonboard design if your design is shortlisted. Students who do not make it to the shortlist will not have to send in their physical designs/prototypes for the judges’ meeting.
An announcement will be made on the 31st of May to notify if you have been shortlisted.
Step 1: Create your design idea:
Submissions must meet the following criteria:
- three-dimensional and to scale, regardless of their actual size and use
- made mainly of cartonboard (over 200 g/m2)
- folded and possibly glued
- printed if possible (but not essential – we are looking for cartonboard ideas and not purely graphic solutions, though the addition of graphics can certainly enhance your folding carton ideas.)
- Must be your own idea and not copied from another source (with or without permission). Entering a concept that is not your own idea will result in disqualification and could infringe copyright law.
- Must be made from cartonboard. Entries made from material other than cartonboard (e.g. corrugated board) can NOT be accepted.
- No repeat entries from previous Award years – these will NOT be accepted.
Please click here to order cartonboard materials free from our partners MM Board & Paper and Metsä Board.
Students can submit more than one design.
Step 2: Online entry – promote your design:
- Take up to 5 photos of your design, the main one of which must be landscape orientation.
- Come up with a catchy name for your entry (max. 40 characters).
- Carefully describe your design concept (max. 150 words).
- Please keep in mind that your photos and texts:
- Are the information that will be used for the judging, and
- Will be used for public voting, social media, Awards brochure, etc.
- Judges will look at all the material submitted in support of your entry. Submitting professional and complete material will leave a positive impression.
- You can download the PCYDA 2025 logo here, should you wish to use it somewhere in your design.
- Deadline: Friday 9th May 2025. All entries need to be uploaded by this date. Every entrant receives a confirmation email following the upload. Entries can be submitted when they are ready, do NOT wait until the last day – your entries can be submitted now! Remember to add studentawards@procarton.com to your contacts.
Students can submit more than one entry. Each entry must have its own online entry completed. Do not include more than one design on each online entry.
By submitting an entry, you give the organisers the right to showcase the submitted concepts publicly including in the Awards Brochure, exhibitions, publications and all other promotional documentation relevant to the competition.
Online entries will be judged to create a shortlist of designs that will go forward to the final judging. Shortlisted students will be notified shortly after the online entry deadline. If successful, your immediate action will be necessary.
Helpful Tips for describing your design concept:
If possible, include answers to some of the following questions in your description:
- What is special about the proposed entry?
- What consumer need or gap in the market does it fill?
- What was the motivation for your proposed solution?
- How does it differ from other similar solutions on the market?
- What are the special functional elements relevant to the proposed solutions?
- What are the special sustainability credentials?
- Describe the process from the beginning of the project to this point.
- Have you encountered any design challenges or obstacles during the project, and how did you overcome them?
- What were the key learnings you had?
- What is your vision for the future development or expansion of your design concept?
REMEMBER THAT YOUR ENTRY DESCRIPTION NEEDS TO BE 150 WORDS OR LESS.
Step 3: Physical entry of the selected designs:
Shortlisted students will be notified by email shortly after the final online entry deadline. Add studentawards@procarton.com to your contacts.
- If you receive confirmation that you have been successfully shortlisted, then send us your physical 3D prototype together with:
- a copy of your entry form (from your confirmation email), so we can identify your physical entry
- any supporting material including presentations, diagrams, photos, and descriptions of your entry.
Entries should be securely packed and sent to:
Pro Carton Young Designers Award
Cepi Avenue Louise 250
1030 Brussels, Belgium
Physical entries must be received by 16th June 2025
Please make sure your physical entries arrive in time for the judges meeting.
Following the judges meeting:
- 24 designs will be selected for the Public Vote shortlist. All shortlisted designs will be widely promoted and communicated.
Step 4: Public Voting – your second chance – vote and promote:
- Share, like, promote your design with your friends, fellow students, family, etc.
How does the Public Voting work?
Following the judges meeting, the selected designs will be presented on a Public Voting page on the Pro Carton website which will be promoted on our Social Media channels, including Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Everyone is invited to vote. Any form of manipulation of votes will result in disqualification.
The Public Vote winner will receive a trophy and certificate and their design will be promoted across Pro Carton’s media outlets.
Who can participate?
The Pro Carton Young Designers Award competition is aimed at all design students in Europe who are not working as professionals. Entrants must still be enrolled at the time of entering.
Individual entries as well as group entries (up to five students) are welcomed. There is no restriction on the number of entries. If you enter as a group, please be aware that only one group member will be invited to the Awards Gala and only one group member can take part in the practical training days. However, the person representing the group at the Awards Gala does not necessarily have to be the same person who takes part in the practical training days. All names included in the Online entry will be communicated throughout our promotional activities.
What can I win?
- As one of the three main prize winners, one student per winning entry will be travelling to a leading European cartonboard manufacturer and folding carton producer for 2 Training Days. At their facilities, you will learn so much of what there is to know about creating sustainable packs for leading brands on a vast scale and you will gain priceless insights into their packaging expertise.
- 1 trophy for the group / individual and a certificate for each team member.
- International publicity and recognition.
Winners and their teacher will be invited to the Awards Gala in September. Winners will be announced on all our media channels after the event.
How much does entry cost?
Participation is free of charge. The organisers are not responsible for the submitted materials.
Restrictions
Members of the expert judging panel, their relatives and the organisers are excluded from participating in the competition. Pro Carton retains the right to use all entries for public relations purposes. However, Pro Carton does not own any rights to the entered designs. The copyright to the designs remains with the entrant. The entrant is responsible for the copyright of their design. The decision of the judges and the organiser is final. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash. The organiser will not pass on personal data nor disclose addresses to third parties.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):
How do I enter?
To enter the PCYDA, just follow the instructions on our dedicated PCYDA page here, which will instruct you step by step on how to enter. Remember, you must submit your entry before the deadline date. The closing date for the PCYDA is midnight on Friday the 9th of May 2025.
Do I need to be a student?
You must be enrolled at a European school or university for the academic year 2025 to enter PCYDA Award. Entrants must be enrolled at the time of entering.
What are the requirements?
There are three unique categories in which your designs can be submitted:
- Sustainability
- Creative Cartonboard: All Other Packaging
- Creative Cartonboard: Food and Drink Packaging.
Depending on which category you would like to enter, you can design and create a packaging solution using folding carton or cartonboard.
What are the prizes?
The winners of the PCYDA receive the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit a leading production site of cartonboard and/or folding cartons. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the production of sustainable packaging firsthand from a leading producer.
All winners and their teachers will be invited to the Awards Gala in Istanbul, Türkiye on 18 September 2025 to network with leading producers of cartonboard and folding cartons.
What language can I complete my Online entry form in?
ALL entry forms must be completed in English.
What is the closing date for entries?
Entries close at midnight on the 9th of May 2025.
Please note no deadline extensions are offered.
Can I use a material other than cartonboard in my design?
All designs must be made from folding carton and cartonboard. Entries which are made from any other material will be disqualified. Please find more information here.
How can I get hold of new cartonboard to use in my design?
You can order folding carton and cartonboard sheets free-of charge on our website from our members MM Board & Paper and Metsä Board! Remember, cartonboard sheets can only be ordered by lecturers/teachers for their courses.
Please find more information on cartonboard options and the official order form here.
Can I re-submit an entry from a previous year?
No, any entries which have been submitted from previous years will be disqualified.
Can I submit more than 1 design?
Yes, you can submit more than one design! Please ensure that you complete an online entry form for each individual design that you would like to submit.
Do I need to send in a physical design at the same time as I submit my Online design?
You will only be required to send your physical prototype if your design has been shortlisted. Shortlisted entrants will be notified in May and June 2025.
Can I include videos and url links with my Online design, or just photos?
Yes! We encourage you to use any supporting material to showcase your design. Use the opportunity to prepare a professional sales pitch for your entry.
For PCYDA, please ensure you provide both landscape and portrait photos of your design.
When will you announce the winners?
Winners will be announced at the prestigious Awards on Thursday 18th of September 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey.
These Rules were last updated on 27th of January 2025.