Judges evaluated and analyzed more than 80 packages from 14 categories in an in-person judging process in April. Judging was based on package innovation, materials use, sustainability, protection, economics, performance, and marketing.
Top AmeriStar winners include the Best of Show Award, the Sustainable Package Award and the Design Excellence Award.
Best of Show Winner
Medical Device: Amara View Bubble, Plastic Ingenuity
The Amara View Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear by Philips Respironics is a full face-mask design featuring lightweight materials and core full face components. The package must securely hold the mask without touching anything important, while providing a positive experience for the patient. The Amara View CPAP is a minimal contact oral/nasal mask design. The package captures and contains the mask without contacting the delicate silicone membrane of the mask. A nose feature was molded into the package to provide patients and clinicians with a visible cue of how the mask functions.
Design Excellence Winner
Electronics: HP Incase™ Star Wars Special Edition Notebook, HP Inc.
The Star Wars™ Special Edition Notebook is the first of its kind. To combine Marketing and Technology together to provide an overall user experience previously unparalleled. The outer box design was upgraded to include a handle, for ease of carrying out the customers’ prized purchase. The accessory box size was determined by the desire to have one size for all worldwide shipments. By changing the material from simple corrugated to a rigid box and adding some very nice graphics it became a keepsake box, sized almost perfectly for old (and new) Star Wars™ figures. Lastly, but certainly not least are the cushions. To further integrate the packaging to the product, HP Inc decided to change materials from fabricated to molded foam, this allowed more complex geometry. The result, cushions that amazingly represent Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter.
Sustainable Packaging Winner
Industrial/Chemical Category: SMART MIX PRO, Sealed Air – Diversey Care
The outer pouch contains a small burstable pouch of a pre-measured dose of cleaning chemical to allow end-users to dilute accurately without risk of chemical exposure. The package is designed for refilling trigger bottles with RTU product and is a convenient alternative to costly and bulky Ready-To-Use products. It was designed for small space businesses with minimal budgets and storage space concerns; convenience stores, banks, small retail outlets, etc. Each lightweight pouch generates 1 gallon (4 quarts) of product at the end-use site.
Ameristar Awards
Beverages, Alcoholic: Arta Tequila, TricorBraun
Arta’s rare triangular bottle combines bright sugar skull graphics to strongly evoke the culture and tradition of the tequila making process. The tall, textured feel accentuates the graphics with a custom triangular T-top closure pulling the triangular silhouette through the entire package.
Beverages, Non-Alcoholic: Nutrilite Phyto2GO Immunity Drink, Amway
Nutrilite® Phyto2GO™ Immunity Drink utilizes gizmo™ twist-cap technology to deliver an unforgettable ‘wow’ factor in the beverage category. Simply twist on and off to instantly infuse water with an optimal dose of nutrition and flavor. Six twist-cap servings and one custom reusable bottle included.
Beverages, Non-Alcoholic: Torani Smoothie Mix, SSPR
To elevate the brand among bartenders who value product quality and speed of use,
Torani sought, as part of a total package redesign, to re-craft the bottle closure for maximum performance at the speed well and quick and easy sealing for freshness over time. The resulting closure fulfilled those needs through a custom design that enables a one-handed open/pour motion for maximum efficiency and a self-sealing cap that keeps the product fresh.
Cosmetics: Burt's Bees 100% Natural Lipstick, Burt’s Bees
The Burt’s Bees® brand has recently launched all-natural, moisturizing lipsticks. The package is 100% polypropylene and contains 60% post-consumer recycled resin. A package like this is categorically unusual, but this brand continues to think boldly and proved sustainable does not have to be ugly.
Cosmetics: SoftLips Hybrid Club Store Package, Transparent Container Co.
Transparent Container's Four Pack Club Store Package Gives SoftLips(C) Lip Care Cube a Unique, Dramatic Presentation. The result is a multi-product package, with all the imagery required, without having it look cluttered, but rather multi-dimensional to catch the consumers' eyes.
Drug & Pharmaceutical: A sustainable, cost effective, DOT type 7A package for a nuclear medicine API product, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
The product this packaging system was designed to protect utilizes containment safes which are very dense and heavy. The product containment safes are also expensive and successful return to manufacturing is important. The focus of the design team was to develop a cost effective, reusable packaging system that enhanced product protection, packaging process efficiencies, and the end user experience.
Electronics: HP Incase™ Star Wars Special Edition Notebook, HP Inc.
The Star Wars™ Special Edition Notebook, with themed HP Inc. packaging. Highlighting the “dark side” at every turn, a colorful outer carton, a keepsake accessory box, as well as cushions resembling TIE Fighters. We are selling an experience, not just a package!
Electronics: IBM System Z Rack Packaging for Domestic U.S. Shipments that utilizes on Caster Deliveries and Compostable Mushroom Based Material, IBM
IBM's package design shows how product design and packaging innovation work together to provide proficient protective packaging without any unnecessary packaging material. This collaboration between product development and packaging engineering saved money, reduced dunnage along with being “green.”
Electronics: Veritiv International, Livescribe 3 Smartpen - Black Edition, Veritiv
Veritiv International is a leader in design and manufacturing of sustainable custom packaging. Livescribe collaborated with Veritiv to create a package for their new Livescribe 3 Smartpen. One highlight of this package is a premium, hinged molded fiber tray produced from a blend of bagasse/bamboo.
Food, Refridgerated: Daisy Squeeze - Flexible squeeze pouch for Daisy brand Sour Cream, Aptar Food + Beverage
A new revolutionary flexible package, Daisy Squeeze is an inverted, wedge-shaped pouch with an innovative flip-top dispensing closure. Daisy Squeeze provides consumer advantages over the existing tub packaging while maintaining the quality of the product inside.
Food, Refrigerated: Bemis® Flow-Tite® Packaging Films for Fresh Meat, Bemis Company, Inc.
Curwood® Flow-Tite® shrink rollstock helps fresh meat processors find efficiencies and total cost savings by creating a consistent, hermetic seal, replacing the manual loading of alternative formats. The system reduces labor costs by 50%, improves throughput by 5-10% and reduces rework by 50%.
Food, Shelf-Stable: Duke's Mayonnaise 8oz. Pouch, Ampac
Duke’s Mayonnaise shaped, spouted stand up pouch is a first in its category, looking to cause disruption on the shelf among all the rigid containers. The reclosable one-piece flip top spout is easy to open, snaps both open and closed. Designed for either single or multi-use portability on the go.
Food, Shelf-Stable: ThermaSet® blow molded PET containers for hot fill, pasteurized food, Graham Packaging
ThermaSet® blow molded PET containers are designed for hot fill and hold, pasteurization and retort processes, to be used with the preferred metal lug closures. ThermaSet® is lighter weight and shatter resistant, and greatly reduces breakage, downtime and cost along the supply chain.
Food, Shelf-Stable: Extra Mega Pack, Wrigley
The Wrigley Extra 35-stick Mega Pack is a new sugar free gum package for Extra brand chewing gum. The Mega pack provides consumers more of their favorite gum in a durable plastic package. Mega pack has over twice as much gum as a standard pack so consumers’ don’t have to worry about running out.
Health and Beauty Aids: POGO Lip and Skin Balm Delivery System, Eco Lips, Inc.
With this new packaging, the consumer is able to switch out their lip products at will, according to their needs or desires, bringing a versatility and individualization not seen before in lip care. The refillable cartridge is held in the container by a soft rubber base which flexes to create a unique and precise application experience. The reprocessed matte plastic body is designed to fit the hand and sustain multiple refills. The clear cap of the POGO container is its own mold, eliminating the need of addition pieces in manufacturing and minimizing transferring of the product during production.
Health and Beauty Aids: Veritiv International, Dollar Shave Club - Hotel Starter Kit, Veritiv
Veritiv International is a leader in the design and manufacturing of sustainable custom packaging. Dollar Shave Club approached Veritiv with a concept for a starter kit to be sold in hotels. Utilizing premium kraft molded fiber, this package gives a 360 degree view of the kit contents.
Household: 3M Respirator Trapped Blister, 3M
3M Dual Cartridge Respirators provide industry leading technology in Protection and Comfort. The new trapped blister packaging helps deliver that message through improved graphics, updated appearance and increased recycled content and recyclability.
Household: Packaging Sprays for e-Commerce, The Clorox Company
Secure, leak proof packaging delivers spray cleaners through the mail to consumers in a safe and convenient way, eliminating leaks and damage previously typical of this type of package. Customers win with price, safety and handling.
Household: The Kingsford Easy Light Charcoal Bag, The Clorox Company
The Kingsford Easy Light bag is an on-the-go solution to grilling with charcoal. The consumer simply lights the bag and the charcoal ignites as it burns away. The Easy Light Bag is now easier to light, it is ready 15% sooner, and it's intent is more intuitive to consumers at shelf.
Our fourth winner in the Household/Industrial/Commercial category is:
Household: Smart Mouth Mouthwash, TricorBraun
T Less is more. Previously, consumer had 2 bottles on their counter and a dosage cup. Now a dual spout bottle protects both parts of product before use and overcap is measuring device. It’s more green, too. Total # of components has been reduced including elimination of the outer box and insert.
Industrial/Chemical, Ecolab Solid Biocide Tablet Packaging System, Ecolab
Ecolab's unique and innovative packaging system for dispensing tablets provides a safer method than conventional packaging designs. This new system allows for easy, safe, and efficient semi-closed loop dispensing of solid biocide tablets into cooling tower sumps for proper water processing.
Industrial/Chemical: Smart Mix Pro, Sealed Air – Diversey Care
Pouch containing a small burstable pouch of a pre-measured dose of cleaning chemical to allow users to dilute accurately without risk of chemical exposure. Designed for refilling trigger bottles with RTU product and is a convenient alternative to costly and bulky Ready-To-Use products.
Industrial/Chemical: Expendable, Stackable, Recyclable Wax-Alternative Trays for Plant Seedlings, Victory Packaging
Benefits of the design include 100% recyclability of entire unit loads, ease of storage in KDF configuration, reduction in weight for initial transportation savings, freeing of capital investment in returnable racking, as well as a roughly 50% cost savings on annual freight charges.
Other: Sharpie(R) Markers Tray, Transparent Container Co.
Transparent Container Helps Sharpie® Expand Its BIG Walmart Black Friday Marker Collection Without Changing Package Dimensions. The structural design of the PVC tray for the markers display them in orderly fashion and also provides a place for consumers to store them conveniently at home.
Medical Device: NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes' PETG Packaging System, Placon
Barger's PETG package is an integral component in the creation of critical isotopes for medical diagnostics. From consolidation and protection of the bags and tubing during shipping/handling, connection of the assembly to the Radiogenix™ instrument, consumption during elution to final disposal.
Medical Device: Amara View Bubble, Plastic Ingenuity
The Amara View CPAP is a minimal contact oral/nasal mask design. The package captures and contains the mask without contacting the delicate silicone membrane of the mask. A nose feature was molded into the package to provide patients and clinicians with a visible cue of how the mask functions.
Medical Device: Smith & Nephew Hip Stem Package, Smith & Nephew
This is a Smith & Nephew resilient sterile barrier system that inherently allows for aseptic transfer of metal hip stems, varying in length and size. This package has resulted in significant cost and waste reduction, making it a customer, environmentally, and economically friendly package.
Student AmeriStar Winners
1st Place Student: Jimmy Hats, Cal Poly University, Credits
2nd Place Student: The Merry Seedsters, Cal Poly State University, Credits
3rd Place Student: Oishi Sushi Tray, Cal Poly State University, Credits
Honorable Mention: Cowler, Cal Poly State University, Credits
