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)



2025 STUDENT USER GUIDES


2026 Student User Guides coming soon...

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.

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.

NEW: MORE FEEDBACK ON YOUR ENTRIES

We’re excited to announce that we are integrating an additional element of written feedback into the first round of competition results, alongside the Pentawards Excellence Score.

Exclusive to non-shortlisted entries for 2025, the new feature will extend to winning and shortlisted entries soon, becoming part of the standard feedback system alongside the existing Pentawards Excellence Score. This will give entrants more insight into what the jury were impressed by, and where they felt improvements could be made.


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 (new for all entries in 2025)

Testimonials

Winners Benefits

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