Pentawards announced the 2023 competition shortlist

Maggie Hanson All News, Creativity

Pentawards, the leading global platform for packaging design, announced the shortlisted entries for its 2023 competition. This year’s awards saw the introduction of a new category, Branding & Consumer: Best Collabs, which received a significant number of shortlisted entries alongside the consistently strong Beverages and Body, Health & Beauty categories. 

With entries to Pentawards in recent years having shown a clear theme of collaboration between brands, artists and creatives, the team introduced the Best Collabs sub-category in order to bring a deserved spotlight to collaborative packaging design. The introduction of this category not only aims to reflect the overall rise of collaborative design in packaging, but also to celebrate the synergetic nature of the industry – and how brands and creatives working together can produce some of the most exciting and engaging work. 

Jennifer Clements, Project & Marketing Manager at Pentawards, commented: 

“What we find inspiring about collaborative work in packaging design at Pentawards is its potential to bring different audiences together, engaging a broader range of consumers. The combination of strong, creative minds, particularly in less expected partnerships, can also offer up some of the most refreshing and surprising ideas and innovations. We’ve been especially pleased to see a high number of entries within the Best Collabs category this year, coinciding with a fantastic range of entries to the overall competition.”

Among the shortlisted entries within the Best Collabs sub-category are

  • Johnnie Walker Blue Label x Luke Halls Cities of the Future 2220 packaging;
  • General Mills’ Reese’s Puffs x KAWS packaging;
  • PepsiCo’s limited edition cans with Mr Cartoon and Eintracht Frankfurt;
  • Montreux Jazz Festival x BMG with their The Montreux Years record cover series,
  • Butterfly Cannon’s collaboration with Brooklyn-based graffiti artist Jason Naylor for Stoli Vodka.

In judging the Best Collabs sub-category, Pentawards’ 2023 jury panel noted interesting clashes between bold expressive art and traditional label design, collaborations between past and future, as well as fun, immersive storytelling and support of positive causes. 

A snapshot of the chosen finalists within other key categories include Oentologie’s vibrant Senses wine labels and TPYE Tea’s minimal packaging by Dowell Design in the Beverages category, as well as BY Far Daydream Fragrance Collection packaging by VV CREATIVE and ARgENTUM Fragrance Collection les parfums infinis within Body, Health & Beauty.

Entries across the competition have shown developments of key themes such as tactile detailing, smart packaging, hand-written motifs and consumer-led sustainability, as explored in Pentawards’ 2022/23 Trends Report.

Winners will be announced at Pentawards’ Gala Ceremony, taking place at Magazine London on 10th November.

Founded in 2007, Pentawards is the leading global platform and community for packaging design.

The Pentawards annual competition recognises the best of the best in global packaging design, with entries judged by an incredible line-up of over 50 experts from brands and agencies like Estée Lauder, Microsoft, Pentagram and PUMA.

Now in its 17th year, the Pentawards competition has received in excess of 30,000 entries from over 64 countries globally since its launch. Winners are celebrated at an exclusive annual Gala Ceremony, and are featured in The Package Design Book, a staple for any packaging designer.