Rules

Invitation for submissions
The International Pro Carton Design Award is a competition for new ideas in the field of carton and carton board applications. The aim of the competition is to find solutions and conceptual designs made of cartonboard which have so far not been realised, to present them to the widest possible audience, and, if possible, to put them into practice.

The Pro Carton Design Award is now in its tenth year. Starting in Spain and Belgium, other national design awards soon followed in another ten European countries. Six years ago saw the first European competition. Pro Carton is now going completely pan-European, allowing young designers from all over Europe – East and West – to participate in the 2011/2012 International Pro Carton Design Awards.

Sponsor
This international competition is sponsored by Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manu facturers.

Categories
Entries are possible in two categories:

• cartonboard packaging
• other uses of cartonboard (i.e. direct mails, displays/P.O.S. materials)

Terms of participation
The competition is open to all European design students, as long as they have not yet been commercially produced. Students are defined as having completed their studies in the summer term 2011 at the earliest (proof is required, i.e. certificate of enrolment, and must accompany the entry). The submission of entries gives the organisers the right to present the entries at a public exhibition including publication, promotion and documentation of the competition.

Entry fees and liability
Participation is free for designers still undergoing education/training. The organisers cannot be held liable for any of the submitted entries. The entries can be returned, upon request, after conclusion of all promotional activities and is at the expense and risk of the participant.

Terms of entry
All entries – designs, sketches and/ or models, dummies etc. – must be true to scale, regardless of their actual size and application, and must be made exclusively of cartonboard (over 200 g/m2) using folding techniques, or possibly glue. Two – and/ or three – dimensional designs are allowed. Each entry must be accompanied by the attached entry form or a copy of the form. A maximum of ten entries is permitted per institution. All entries must be submitted (maximum size A3) ideally as a finished version for printing. Three-dimensional samples, models, dummies etc. must be accompanied by a sketch or description of no more than a single A4 page. A description is always welcome.

Jury
All entries will be judged by an independent jury. The jury will be composed of professionals from the supply chain: designers, and members of the consumer brand, retail and carton industry. The decisions of the jury are final. Members of the jury, their next of kin as well as next of kin or employees of the oganisers are exempt from taking part in the competition.

The jury will meet in The Hague in early 2012.

Awards
In each category awards will go to the winner and the two runners-up.

Main awards
The winners from each category will be invited to spend a week at a renowned European packaging design agency. In addition they will attend a week of training together with the four runners-up as part of the European Pro Carton Academy.

Distinctions
Together with the four runners-up, the two main award winners will attend a week of training as part of the European Pro Carton Academy. Experts from all areas of the supply chain, such as the car tonboard and folding box industry, marketing, packaging design and trade, will make their know-how available. This is supplemented by practicals in leading cartonboard and folding carton companies. This week of training takes place at the same time for all participants. They will also receive a certificate signed by all companies and instructors.

Presentation of awards
Pro Carton will invite all nominated students (max. one per entry) and their immediate instructors (lecturers, professors) to attend the award ceremony. The ceremony and publication of the awards and winners (folder, press release, web-site) will take place late in 2012. Travel, board and training costs will be paid for by Pro Carton.

Entry deadline
Entries must be sent to Pro Carton, Laan Copes van Cattenburch 79, NL-2585 EW Den Haag, Netherlands, by 26th February 2012, and marked “International Pro Carton Design Award“.

They can only be returned to the entrant upon special request and at his/her costs and risk. The entrant is responsible for making sure that his entry is received by the deadline.