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This year’s Pro Carton Young Designers Award (PCYDA) is now open for entries. This is the perfect opportunity for any students with a passion for design, sustainability, and packaging to get involved and show off their skills. The award is one of the best opportunities for students to think about career development, gain exposure to the industry and learn from experts in the packaging sector!
Below you can read some inspirational success stories from past PCYDA entrants. Click here for more information on this year’s PCYDA.
Hear from previous PCYDA winners to find out how entering the competition can open doors in students’ career journeys:
Ishita’s journey: From PCYDA to Graphic Packaging International, UK
Ishita Arora, a talented Product Design student studying at Nottingham Trent University, is an up-and-coming changemaker in the packaging industry. Her success started when she was crowned winner of the 2022 UK Pro Carton Young Designers Award, presented at the BPIF Cartons Summer Event by Jon Clark, General Manager of BPIF Cartons, the UK National Association of the carton and cartonboard industry.
Ishita was awarded for her menstrual pad packaging concept, ‘Re-design of Menstrual Pad Packaging’ for the renowned brand, Always, which inspired her to search for placement opportunities in the packaging industry. Through her exposure from the 2022 UK PCYDA competition, industry professionals recognised Ishita for her success and understanding of end-to-end design processes. This ultimately led to her securing a placement role at Graphic Packaging International, a prominent Pro Carton member, specialisng in fibre-based consumer packaging solutions.
With the PCYDA demonstrating the bright world of packaging to the next generation, Ishita proved that there are endless opportunities to make a meaningful impact as a young designer entering the packaging industry, and the PCYDA was the c atalyst for this opportunity.
Click here to read more about Ishita’s success in the PCYDA.
Antuán Soto Rodriguez, Escuela Superior de Diseño de La Rioja, Spain
Antuán and teammate, Pablo de Santiago, submitted their ‘Packaging Mop Mery’ design to the competition in 2023. Their innovative, fun design earned them a spot as a PCYDA finalist in Seville, and gained them recognition in the regional news publication, Diario de La Rioja. Their creation, inspired by a playful moment among friends, enabled the introduction of an eco-friendly, recycled cartonboard packaging for cleaning mops. Reflecting on his experience in the awards, Antuán said:
“My experience was fantastic, and I still remember it with joy. For me, it was a before and after in my career as a designer, where I was able to gain numerous contacts and really incredible relationships. It was an honour to be able to participate in 2023 and I hope to be able to attend again in 2024.”
Rose Lwin, Ravensbourne University, London, UK
Rose was the genius behind ‘UrbanBite’, 2023’s winner of the PCYDA Creative Cartonboard Ideas Food & Drink Award. The submission was a sustainably aware and dynamic carton packaging for confectioneries, which encourages consumer interaction. The design features a slide-to-open closure mechanism for control when dispensing aimed to replace resealable plastic containers. Rose thoroughly enjoyed her experience, sharing:
“Everything in Seville was so welcoming and amazing. Thank you for being such an awesome support for all the students.”
The deadline for submissions to the PCYDA is Friday 17th May.
Click here for Entry Details.
If you have any questions feel free to drop us an email at:
studentawards@procarton.com
