Pentawards 2026 - Student Hub

Calling all design students!

At Pentawards we want to inspire, connect and celebrate the future talent in packaging design from around the world. Over the years, our judges have seen exceptional work come through, and we can't wait to see what you get up to next.

By getting involved in our annual competition, it's your chance to make a mark on the global packaging design stage and help kick start your career in the industry.

The 2026 competition will open on 19th January, register your interest below to receive updates - including our Jury, categories, brand brief, and more.

IMPORTANT DATES & NEXT STEPS

19 January	2026 Competition Opens
27 March	2026 Competition Closes
April	Deadline for editing submissions
May	Round One Results (private)
July	Shortlist announcement
July	Round Two Results (private)

2026 STUDENT USER GUIDES

Student Prices & offers

€50

STUDENT FEE

Throughout 2026

+1 FREE

Bundle Offer

When you buy 5

+2 FREE

Bundle offer

When you buy 10

+3 FREE

Bundle Offer

When you buy 15

You don’t need a discount code for the Student Categories — simply select them from the entry form dropdown, and the price will automatically be €50.

If you’re interested in a bundle discount code, please email info@pentawards.org.

Students will also get 50% off trophy and certificate purchases. Winner's Package fees DO NOT apply to Student entries.

Explore the categories

Student Conceptual work - Beverages

Student conceptual work - Food

Student conceptual work – Body, health & beauty

Student conceptual work – Home, leisure & other markets

Student conceptual work – Brand Identity & Connected Packaging

Student conceptual work – Sustainable design

*Only those who are currently in education, or who designed a project in 2025 whilst they were in education, are eligible to enter our Student Concept categories.

PENTAWARDS BRAND BRIEFS

Every year, we team up with leading brands for exciting FREE design challenges!

Open to students, recent graduates, and interns, our Brand Briefs give emerging talent the opportunity to work on real-world creative projects, gain industry experience, and showcase their skills to top professionals in packaging design.

Discover more about our Brand Briefs — and take a look at last year’s challenge in collaboration with Carrefour.

FIND OUT MORE

FEEDBACK ON YOUR ENTRIES

When you submit your entry with Pentawards, we wanted to ensure you get more – even if you don’t win.

After such a brilliant response last year, we will continue with exclusive written feedback directly from the jury if your work is not shortlisted . This means you’ll get a deeper understanding around what the jury were impressed by, and where they felt improvements can be made to help propel your work in the future.

Thanks to the Pentawards Excellence Score, all entries submitted into the Pentawards competition receive feedback on their entry. The Pentawards Excellence Score includes:

- The entry’s score for each judging criteria

- The design’s overall score based on the judging criteria

- How that design compared to other entries in that subcategory (in each criteria)

- The score that the pack would have needed to be shortlisted

Testimonials

We’re super excited and honoured to win the 2024 NXT-GEN Award! It’s not just about recognizing our hard work, but also about acknowledging the power of teamwork.

Chuxun Yu, Zhuowen Lin and Rongjin Zheng NXT GEN Winner 2024

Winning has had a significant impact on both my academic journey and career trajectory. It has enhanced my portfolio with a real-world project that I can showcase to potential employers and collaborators.

Gaizka Elortegi Saiz 2024 brand brief Gold winner

It’s mind blowing to win such a prize! I want to thank Pentawards for sharing my idea worldwide and getting recognised for it. I believe great packaging is made from a great story and value.

Packaging is the most affordable and influential media and we should use it not only for selling products but to show an image of a better world.

Gosha Chubukin NXT GEN winner 2021

When I was on stage receiving the award at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, it felt like a dream. I got the opportunity to connect with so many talented professionals in the design industry, and it made me feel more connected with the global design community.

I am really thankful to Pentawards for giving me the opportunity to get my name on the international stage with the NXT-GEN award. It opened the door for many collaboration opportunities. More importantly, I was recognised for the first time in my life. I wasn't very confident before.

Chen Yu NXT-GEN winner 2018

It’s the first time our university wins this award so it feels special and we can’t be more honored.

The Package Design Book has always been a reference to us for creativity, quality, and ideas execution in our sector. Achieving this award is a result of teamwork so we are still shocked with happiness and for the opportunities that it brings to our careers.

Martí Garcés Muntalt, Lesley Melissa Batista Víquez, and Trinidad Mosso Tupper NXT-GEN winner 2022