Though the WPO (World Packaging Organisation) turned to virtual judging for WorldStar 21 with two rounds of judging taking place, WPO members, representing 34 countries from all around the world, spent hours going through 345 submissions before meeting via the Zoom platform for final deliberations to choose the 194 winners of WorldStar Packaging Awards 2021.

The countries most awarded are Japan, with 26 awards, followed by China, taking 22, USA taking 14, Czech Republic got 13 and and Turkey with 12. The winners for the special categories — President’s Award, Sustainability Award, Marketing Award and Packaging that Saves Food Award — will be announced during WorldStar Ceremony that will take place in May 2021.

Packages eligible for WorldStar are those that have already received a national award recognized by WPO.

“The submissions were, again, of a significantly high standard, and to note was how well the submissions in general reflected the focus of packaging with sustainability in mind. Also of interest was the number of clever and unique ideas. I particularly was impressed with the number of submissions from countries that have in the past not partaken in any significant way. We received a good variety of entries covering all the categories. We will continue to review the categories thus ensuring due relevance is always maintained”, states Pierre Pienaar, President of WPO.

All winners will be recognized in an Awards Gala Ceremony in May 2021. The ceremony likely will be virtual due to the pandemic.

The complete list of WorldStar Packaging Awards 2021 winners can be viewed at https://www.worldstar.org/winners/.

And check out the Top 10 Packaging Innovations of 2020 feature from the January issue, chosen by our Packaging Group, to see which we selected that are on this list as well.