The Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) is currently accepting submissions to its 72nd annual North American Paperboard Packaging Competition, a competition recognizing masterful carton converting from concept and design, to printing, shipping, distributing, on-shelf appeal and beyond.

PPC will accept submissions through June 1, 2015, after which a panel of packaging experts will convene in Springfield, Mass. in July to judge the entries. The winning cartons will be revealed in October, during PPC’s Fall Meeting in Indianapolis, Ind.

A uniquely rigorous contest, PPC’s carton competition recognizes excellence throughout the entire converting process. Not only do the judges examine carton blanks as well as finished cartons loaded with product, they also review detailed write-ups that provide insights into each carton’s design, board type, distribution and more.
Cartons may be awarded prizes in the General Category, Innovation (for new and game-changing solutions), and Eco (for cartons that replaced a less sustainable substrate, decreased waste, etc.). Top awards include Paperboard Package of the Year, Folding Carton of the Year, Rigid Box of the Year, the Innovation Award and the Eco Award.

“A fixture in the folding carton industry for more than seven decades, PPC’s Carton Competition illuminates the uncompromising quality of our product as well as the ingenuity and artistry of carton converters across North America,” says PPC President Ben Markens. “Importantly, it also reveals emerging trends that stand to propel our industry into the future.”

Indeed, the 2014 competition underscored the continued trend towards sustainability with a record number of entries in the Eco Category. The top winners represented new possibilities in the produce and food segments, and many entries highlighted new technologies and converting techniques.

To enter the 2015 competition, PPC members can submit their work at paperbox.org/cc.