The winners in the 2016 AWA Sleeve Label Awards competition, organized by AWA Alexander Watson Associates, were announced at the AWA International Sleeve Label Conference and Exhibition 2016 held in Denver, Colorado.    

Judged by an independent panel of experts -- chairman Yolanda Simonsis, President & Editorial Director, YTC Media Inc., Dr. Séamus Lafferty, President, Accraply, Inc., Tom Hammer, Product Manager North America, Flint Group Narrow Web, and Will Schretzman, Vice President, Packaging, Verst Group Logistics – the competition presented once again a well-deserved opportunity to reward excellence in sleeve labeling and product decoration. 

Best of show

This year the award for Best Sleeve Label went to US based McDowell Label. With their entry ‘Mad Hot Tingle Bronzer’, an indoor tanning bottle by JWOWW, McDowell Label stole the show with a label described by the judges as ‘Amazing, classy, and adventurous from the get go. This took spunk and has a real wow factor. The label is just JWOWW!’. McDowell Label used a variety of technologies, including effective use of tactile and foil, to achieve great shelf appeal, with the result ‘oozing quality’. The well-deserved winners of the 2016 AWA Best Sleeve Label Award. 

Syracuse Label & Surround Printing were awarded the AWA Heat TD Shrink Sleeves Award 2016. For brand owner Braided Oaks Spirits they created an attractive label with effective label graphics which helps this Cosa Salvajé vodka stand out on the shelf amongst its competition. The judges commended the achievement of a quality look with depth to design and colors. 

Finally, the joint entry by Campbell Soup Company and Printpack Inc. (USA), took the prize for best Roll-fed MD Shrink Sleeves 2016. The judges recognized the bold move to change to a foam container and appreciated how with this label Printpack Inc. was able to meet their brand owner & consumer need, achieving equal level of quality while using the same equipment. 

Awards presentation

The Awards were presented by AWA President and CEO Corey Reardon.  Proud to host the second edition of the AWA Sleeve Label Awards, Mr. Reardon underlined that ‘these awards recognize the fast-developing industry’s outstanding achievements in stretch- and shrink-sleeve labeling and product decoration.   The 2016 awards have created interest across the value chain and are a great way to promote the best-practice technology and materials suppliers, printers and end-use applications of the sleeve labeling format.’ 

Full details of the winners in the AWA Sleeve Label Awards 2016 are available via the AWA website www.awa-bv.com/sleeve_awards.