Rules

What can I enter?

Entries can be submitted in four 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 focussed 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!

Everyone will have the opportunity to vote for their favourites during our public voting and thus help determine the “Public Award” winner themselves.

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.

Please only send us the physical 3D cartonboard design if your design was shortlisted. You will receive an email invitation. Please add designaward@procarton.com to your contacts. Students who do not make it to the shortlist will not have to send in their physical designs/prototypes/dummies for the jury meeting.

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)
• 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

Entries made from material other than cartonboard (e.g. corrugated board) can NOT be accepted.

Step 3: Physical entry of the selected designs:

• If you receive an email confirming that you have been successfully shortlisted, then send us your physical 3D prototype together with:
  • a copy of the entry form (confirmation email) so we can identify your physical entry
  • a description, on one A4 page, which must accompany all 3D samples.

Shortlisted students will be notified shortly after the final online entry deadline via designaward@procarton.com.

Entries should be securely packed and sent to:

Pro Carton Young Designers Award
c/o Lejeune Association Management
Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië 131-G
NL-2593 BM The Hague
The Netherlands

Please make sure your physical entries arrive in time. Entries can be returned to entrants upon special request and at their own cost and risk. Make sure you communicate this request in advance.

Following the jury meeting:

• The designs selected for our Public Voting (max. 25 designs) for the Public Award will be published and widely communicated.

Step 4: Public Voting – your second chance – vote and promote

• Share, like, promote your design with your friends, colleagues, family, etc.
• The winner of the Public Award will win an iPad.

How does the Public Voting work?

Following the jury meeting in June, the selected designs (max. 25) will be presented on a voting page on the Pro Carton website. Furthermore, all selected designs will be promoted on our Social Media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Everyone is invited to cast their vote. Any form of manipulation of votes will result in disqualification.

The winner will receive a brand-new iPad and a certificate, but will not be invited to the Award Gala or the Practical Training Days. The design will be promoted amongst Pro Carton’s media outlets if possible.

Who can participate?

The competition is aimed at all design students in Europe who are not working as professionals. They must not have completed their studies before the summer term of 2023 (proof is to be supplied with the entry, e.g. student enrollment document). An entry gives the organisers the right to showcase the submitted concepts in a public exhibition, including publication, promotion and documentation of the competition.

Individual entries as well as group entries (up to five students) are welcome. 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 Award Gala and only one group member can take part in the practical training days. However, the person representing the group at the Award Gala doesn’t necessarily have to be the same person that takes part in the practical training days. All names will be communicated throughout our promotional activities.

What can I win?

1. As one of the three main prize winners, you will be travelling to a leading European cartonboard manufacturer and folding carton producer. You will learn all there is to know at their facilities about creating sustainable packs for leading brands on a vast scale and gain priceless insights into their packaging expertise.
2. A trophy and certificate.

3. The winner of the Public Award will win an iPad and a certificate.

4. International publicity and recognition.

Winners and their teachers will be invited to the Award Gala in September, subject to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Winners will be announced on all our media channels after the Award Gala in September.

How much does entry cost?

Participation is free of charge. The organisers are not responsible for the submitted materials.

Restrictions

Members of the expert jury, 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 copyrights to the designs remain with the entrant. The entrant is responsible for the copyright of their design. The decision of the jury 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.

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