Pro Carton crowns 2026 young packaging designers in Rome

Pro Carton named the winners of its 2026 Young Designers Award at a gala in Rome, after a record year that drew more than 1,000 entries from students at over 70 universities in 21 countries. The results highlight how packaging design is shifting toward recyclability, reusability and consumer wellbeing.

Why it matters: - The Pro Carton Young Designers Award is a major European pipeline for emerging packaging talent. - The 2026 edition drew more than 1,000 projects from students at over 70 universities in 21 countries, showing rising interest in carton-based packaging innovation. - The winning concepts focused on food packaging, sustainability and wellbeing, three areas shaping future packaging design. - The competition gives students practical experience with real-world packaging concepts and exposure to industry careers.

What happened: - Pro Carton announced the winners of the Pro Carton Young Designers Award 2026 at a ceremony at Villa Miani in Rome. - The jury selected winners across several categories, including food and drink, other creative cartonboard packaging, sustainability, the public vote and a special jury prize. - The jury included Satkar Gidda, Sanjeev Das and Heidi Vanspauwen, with new 2026 members Andreas Macku, Krzysztof Krajewski, Chiara Bordignon and Elisa Chiminello.

The details: - Alanur Türkoğlu of Istanbul Medipol University won the Creative Cartonboard Packaging - Food & Drink award for GRAIN. - GRAIN is a recyclable carton spice pack designed for controlled dosing. - The hexagonal shape is meant to save shelf and counter space. - A grain-inspired color gradient helps users identify each spice. - An internal rotating dosing mechanism controls how much product is dispensed. - The refillable container is designed for reuse. - Wiebke Wendorff, Sophia Reinecke, Pina Schmitz and Lara Thole of Münster School of Design won the Creative Cartonboard Packaging - Other award for Net’s Play. - Net’s Play converts packaging into a portable table tennis kit. - An integrated fold-out net turns almost any table into a playing surface. - The package folds into a carrying bag for transport and reuse. - The concept replaces traditional plastic with carton and is aimed at spontaneous social play. - Piotr Szewczyk of Politechnika Bydgoska won the Sustainability Award for Fluoria. - Fluoria is a toothpaste pack built with a compact linear structure to cut empty space and material use. - The slanted design helps transport and store more units efficiently. - Single-sided printing reduced production needs. - An integrated Euro slot and stable angled base give retailers more display flexibility. - More than 10,000 people took part in the public vote this year, with more than 10,100 votes cast. - Public voting was up 62% from 2025. - Giada Gasparet and Luca Adami of ISIA Roma Design won the Public Vote Award for Struky Struky – share with everyone. - The concept reworks packaging for Strucchi, a traditional regional pastry. - Two separately sealed trays hold the classic and gluten-free versions so more people can share the dessert from one pack. - Lara Sommer, Lilli Maas, Lucia Kremkus and Johanna Ostrejz of FH Münster won the 2026 Jury Award for Panic Paul. - Panic Paul is a compact support kit for moments of anxiety and panic. - A side opening gives quick access to breathing guidance, grounding tools and sensory items. - The kit includes space for personal comfort objects. - Clear instructions and an optional QR-code audio guide lead users through self-regulation techniques. - Van Genechten Packaging sponsors the Pro Carton Young Designers Award. - Metsä Board sponsors the Public Vote Award. - MM Group, Burgo Group and Umka co-sponsor Pro Carton’s Student Award program.

Between the lines: - The strongest entries point to a broader shift in packaging toward function beyond containment. - Several winning ideas combine sustainability with usability, suggesting cartonboard is being positioned as both an environmental and design medium. - The public vote growth suggests stronger student and industry engagement with the competition.

What's next: - The winning students now have a higher-profile platform to develop their concepts further. - Pro Carton is likely to keep using the award as a showcase for cartonboard innovation and early-career designers. - The next cycle will likely continue to reward projects that combine sustainability, convenience and consumer experience.