The European Excellence Award – Best Ever!

The jury for the European Carton Excellence Award for outstanding cartonboard packaging solutions has now deliberated but they had a tough job in picking the winners. With a total of 122 entries to evaluate (the highest number for 10 years) selecting the winners was a very challenging task. Every entry was put to the test by the judges who came from right across the supply chain – from design through to retailing, ensuring that every single aspect was taken into consideration, from the development of the packaging through to the consumer's shopping basket. In addition to jury chairman Satkar Gidda, from international brand and packaging design consultancy SiebertHead, the highly experienced jurors included Lotte Krekels from Carrefour Belgium, Susanne Lippitsch from SL Design and Janet Shipton from Packknack, who also assumed the role of technical advisor. New to the jury was Courtney Judkins of General Mills, representing the branded goods industry. Satkar Gidda, who has been involved in judging the awards for more than 15 years, was nevertheless amazed at what is possible with cartonboard: “The print quality, techniques, textures and finishes on many of the packs was incredible. Only cartonboard can achieve so much and these packs are a testament to the innovation and experimentation continually taking place in the industry.” “The categories were completely revised this year and judging by the number and quality of entries it appears to have been highly successful. All in all, more participating companies than in the past will be given the opportunity of making their outstanding achievements known to the public.” The winners will be announced at the Award Gala at the ECMA Congress in Malta on 19 September 2019.