The inaugural LPW Innovation Awards aim to celebrate UK market disruptors and their transformative pursuits.

Organisers Easyfairs launched the London Packaging Week Innovation Awards today, seeking to highlight the businesses that use innovation to shape the packaging landscape.

Over the next three months, companies will be able to apply for their innovative products to be judged by a dedicated jury comprising some of the leading lights in the world of packaging design and innovation and representatives of some of the biggest global brands. The jury will search for packaging creations that challenge the accepted limits of what is possible, showcase new technologies or techniques, and inspire the next generation.

The LPW Innovation Awards have been designed to inspire the next big idea and to encourage advancements in sustainability and performance across four industry sectors. Ingenious up-and-comers and well-established brands will compete for their most innovative commercialised packs to be judged by expert juries.

Standout names on the respective juries include Michael Carroll, Senior Packaging Specialist at Nestlé; Jim Bligh, Corporate & Public Affairs Director & Communications Leader at The Food and Drink Federation; Tanguy Pellen, Partner at Skarbek; Cain Hayward-Hughes, Senior Global Creative Manager - Prestige at Beam Suntory; Chris Allinson, Group Packaging Leader at PZ Cussons; Alfredo Ruiz Pose, Head of Purchasing at Glenmorangie, and renowned packaging expert Raphael Ferri.

Chris Allinson said: "I was delighted to be asked to join the jury panel at London Packaging Week to champion the remarkable achievements within our industry while fostering a culture of recognition and appreciation for our peers' daily contributions. Those of us in R&D often operate behind the scenes, yet our efforts are instrumental in driving progress and innovation. This event provides a platform to shine a light on our collective endeavours."

Cain Hayward-Hughes added: "I have long admired luxury packaging [both professionally and personally] in the spirits industry; the ability of well-designed and executed packaging to tell the unique stories wrought by the people who craft the spirits at each distillery is endlessly fascinating. There is such depth and breadth to what luxury packaging can do to elevate a brand, a story, an emotion – that to be part of a jury celebrating these achievements is an opportunity for me to give back to the industry I admire so much."

Entries, which are free of charge, are invited from brands, design agencies, and suppliers with the clients' authorisation across four key categories: Premium & Luxury Drinks, Beauty Cosmetics & Perfume, Food Beverages & Personal Care and Fashion Accessories & Jewelry, with the first submission deadline for the inaugural LPW Innovation Awards already confirmed as Friday, May 17.

"We know firsthand that innovation is alive and well, and nowhere is it more prevalent than in the packaging sector," said Christelle Anya, Content & Community Director at Easyfairs, and a driving force behind the awards. "For as long as I can remember, the industry has been evolving rapidly, and you only have to walk the floor of one of our UK shows to understand a little more about the pace and scale of the change and progress in the industry. This innovation excites us, and as we continue to see packaging manufacturers grow alongside us and their products take the world by storm, we feel it is high time we recognise these efforts.

"It would be a reasonable observation that a significant proportion of the current innovation addresses sustainability concerns and the circular economy. Brand owners, big and small, are delivering exceptional packaging experiences, often against all the odds, and they still innovate and excite customers, all while delivering revenue, differentiation, and quality to brands. Packaging and the packaging value chain always find a way, and so do we. Our motivation for the awards was to create a true celebration of market disruptors and their transformative pursuits."

Prospective entrants must meet a minimum of one of four key criteria to enter: (Innovation) Technology Game-Changer, (Design) British Design & Craftsmanship, Consumer experience (British Experiential Quality), or Sustainability Impact (Environment Game-Changer).

From transformative, technical or process-driven innovations linked to the consumer experience to emotional connections and eco-credentials, winners will receive their awards on the second and final day of London Packaging Week 2024.

Products should be distributed in the UK market between May 25, 2023, and May 24, 2024, and a full breakdown of the qualifying criteria and all other guidance on submitting your entry can be found here.