This year’s jury boasts an incredible line-up of over 50 experts from brands and agencies across the globe like Estée Lauder, General Mills and Coty. So how can you make your entry stand out?

With the competition now open for entries , we wanted to share some insights from our judges and top tips on how to increase your chances of winning a Pentawards trophy.

Your most important tool: The Judging Criteria

First and foremost, if you're planning on entering, make sure you take a look at the Pentawards judging criteria. By understanding what the International Jury will be looking for in your creations during the judging, you will undoubtedly maximise your chances of impressing them. Make sure these shine through in your entries.

Each of the below will determine whether or not you make it thought to the second round, and ultimately, your chances of winning.

QUALITY OF DESIGN: Being the world’s leading and most prestigious competition for packaging design, this won’t come as a surprise. Our judges are looking for outstanding graphic and structural design, considering aspects such as typography, artwork, the logo or brand name, use of colours, shape and form.

BRAND EXPRESSION: The graphic and structural design of your project must speak to people with great meaning. A winning pack is one that reflects all the ideas and stories making up the brand, integrated into an authentic visual style that is consistent with the brand personality.

CREATIVITY & INNOVATIONS: Judges will score entries for the quality of innovation, originality and creativity of the design. If your pack is a revamp or limited edition of an existing brand, the Jury will look at its effectiveness compared to the previous design.

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION: Packaging does not only wrap up its content but also emotions. Jury members will score their emotional response to entries and whether they believe that the design will elicit a positive response in its target market. Remember, the packaging is no longer just a container for a product!

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CATEGORY CRITERIA: If entering this category, you will need to include information on why the pack is sustainable, including the materials used and their impact on the environment. Judges will be looking for evidence of optimisation in the environmental performance of the packs, as well as the branding and innovation in the pack design.

For more help on your entries, have a look at the 2022 User Guides , available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. You can also create your free account and select the category you want to enter to see all the information you'll need to provide.

The Jury on last year’s Top Winners

Want to know how to stand out? You can learn a lot from what the Jury has to say about a winning piece. Let's take a look at what they had to say about some of last year’s top winning packs.

DIAMOND - BEST OF SHOW

Eminente Reserva rum, by Moët Hennessy and Stranger & Stranger

“Inspiring structurally. The graphics, balance, design, attention to detail, it's all perfect.”

Steve Honour, Design and Visual Identity Leader, Innovation, Europe & Africa Diageo

BEVERAGES PLATINUM

Vinho do Mar by Rita Rivotti, Portugal

"I’ll remember it months, years, it’s doing something different"

Chloe Templeman, Creative Director, Design Bridge

FOOD PLATINUM

Nice Cream by Han Gao, United States

"Great attitude and typography, great packaging with a minimal amount of elements but great attention to detail" 

Jane Struk, Creative Director, Depot branding agency

PROFESSIONAL CONCEPT PLATINUM

Stoic by OTVETDESIGN, Russia

"The idea of showing how tough the rubber is by pushing something through it is really interesting"

Sam O-Donahue, Founder, Established

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PLATINUM

OCEANIQ by 2Yolk, Greece

"It has a clear message, the pack reflects where its coming from, it looks very sustainable"

Kevin Shaw, Founder, Stranger & Stranger

NXT-GEN, BEST STUDENT WORK

Special One by Gosha Chubukin, HSE Art & Design, Russia

" I think its really timely as we reflect on the post pandemic world, that we realise the importance of mental health within the design community and the wider world "

Clem Halpin, President of the Jury, Taxi Studio

Do you think your packaging design work can win a Pentaward, or even the coveted Diamond - Best of Show Award?