Back 2021 PENTAWARDS JURY: WHAT IS THE PANEL LOOKING FOR?
This year’s jury boasts an incredible line-up of over 40 experts from brands and agencies across the globe like Amazon, Diageo, Moët Hennessy and P&G.
As we approach the competition deadline on 19 March, 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, let’s take a look at the Pentawards judging criteria. By understanding what the International Jury will be looking for in your creations, you will undoubtedly maximise your chances of impressing them. Make sure these shine through in your entries.
Each of the below will be scored out of 5 on your entry, giving you a top score out of 20 that 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!
Top Tips from a Pentawards Judge
We recently spoke with Pentawards judge Bruno Singulani, Head of Brand Identity & Design at Nestle -Switzerland in one of our Instagram Takeovers.
Here were his
Top 3 Tips
for anyone entering this year's competition:
1. Don’t go for mindless visual disruptions for the sake of coolness. Aim for a timeless design that can resist through time.
2. Always put consumer first in your creative concept storytelling.
3. Focus on the design details in your pack presentation. The way you present your project can make a difference.
To see his takeover and more, including tips from other Jury members, head to our Instagram @pentawards and watch on IGTV.
The Jury on last year’s Diamond Winner
You can learn a lot from what the Jury has to say about a winning piece.
So want to know how to stand out? Let's take a look at what they had to say about last year’s top Diamond - Best of Show winner, Air Vodka by Air Company :
“ This is one of the rare occasions where you find a brand with a very compelling purpose,
a real good concept and a flawless execution ”
Jonas Andersson, Managing Director at Brand Union
“ This package design is the perfect expression of the brand ”
Ippei Murata, Creative Director at Shiseido
“ This design effectively combines the concept of sustainability
and the use of new technologies and new materials ”
Chen Lu, Design Director at Xiaomi
