The Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) has announced the top winners of its 76th annual North American Paperboard Packaging Competition. These folding cartons and rigid boxes represent some of the best paperboard packaging manufactured by North American converters over the past year.

Paperboard Package of the Year
Wicked Weed Sours 4-Bottle Basket, submitted by Graphic Packaging International

The graphic design for this bottle carrier is fruit forward, highlighting the peaches and pears that give the beer its mouth-puckering goodness. Vibrant, colorful images of fruit stand out on a backdrop of muted, two-tone illustrations of trees and leaves. The fruit is finished with a high-gloss coating while the background is treated with a matte varnish. This draws attention to the glossed areas, conveys a very premium brand image, and mirrors Wicked Weed’s intense focus on the fruit as the key ingredient in their brews.
 

Folding Carton of the Year
Estee Lauder GlamGlow INSTAMUD, submitted by the Edelmann Group

Edelman’s design for GlamGlow INSTAMUD has no vertical lines, generating huge shelf impact. Furthermore, the negative space on the shelf, created by the cartons’ unique diamond-shaped angles, draws additional attention. Adding even more visual interest, the hourglass shape appears to be a mirror image of itself. Another winning design, the INSTAMUD carton certainly met GlamGlow’s high expectations.

Rigid Box of the Year
Kat Von D Trooper Black Eyeliner Obsession, submitted by the Edelmann Group

Tattoo artist Kat Von D’ wanted a showstopping, star-shaped rigid box for her makeup line to help boost sales of the Trooper eyeliner collection. Despite its big, bold design and undeniable shelf presence, the box achieves a small footprint by positioning the brand’s signature star to the right of the base. Small printed stars on the front of the box evoke the tattoos on Kat Von D’s face. The design also features a unique roll-away opening that eliminates the need for a lock or magnet.
 

Sustainability Award of the Year
First Alert Sustainable Security
Submitted by WestRock

These redesigned smoke detector cartons from WestRock address consumer sustainability concerns. The switch from a fully enclosed, virgin PET blistered clamshell to the NatraLock® blister card yielded a noticeable 61% reduction in plastic and a 48% decrease in packaging weight. Additionally, the redesign led to a significant SKU optimization, consolidating 161 SKUs into three common card sizes and 13 common blisters. The redesign introduced a more environmentally friendly package to meet the needs of consumers across the country.
 

Innovation Award of the Year
Guarantab, submitted by Southern Champion Tray

Guarantab offers a solution for worried consumers and restaurants who may face the blame of food delivery drivers eating customers' food. This recyclable clamshell carton is the first in the food service industry to make use of a tamper evident lock that has been long used in shoe boxes and consumer electronic packaging. The design features a “tamper-evident” seal printed on top as well as “bear trap” ridged side walls that prevent people from reaching into the sides of the carton. With the rising popularity of fast food delivery options, this innovative new design could make a big impact.
 

Digital Application of the Year
Kroger Home Chef Sleeves, submitted by Zumbiel Packaging

Home Chef offers seasonal menu offerings so the exact ingredients and nutritional facts are not available well in advance. That’s where Zumbiel’s digital converting capabilities come in handy. Each week, Zumbiel receives 24 new graphic files for sleeve SKUs that are placed around generic primary packages. Literally minutes after receiving the art files, Zumbiel is printing and die-cutting sleeves at a rate of over 50,000 per hour with zero make-ready. The filled cartons hit store shelves nationwide no later than two weeks after Zumbiel receives the art. 
 

Visit PPC’s website to see all of the winning entries and learn more about the North American Paperboard Packaging Competition.