The results of the WorldStar Student Awards 2026 have been officially announced, showcasing exceptional talent from the next generation of packaging professionals. This year’s competition received 246 entries, from 90 educational institutions, across 23 countries. Every submission had previously won a local award in one of 20 different student packaging competitions worldwide or, for countries without their own student awards programme, entries may qualify by receiving endorsement from the local WPO member or association organisation.
Participants ranged from undergraduate to master’s level students, representing disciplines such as Packaging Design, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Food Science, Engineering, and Global Business Studies. A notable trend emerged in several educational institutions, with multi-disciplinary team entries combining different areas of expertise to create innovative packaging solutions.
There were 43 judges who formed this year’s international panel. Representing 31 countries, these packaging professionals dedicated their time and shared their expertise to ensure a thorough and insightful evaluation of each entry.
Key themes identified across the submissions included innovative thinking around sustainability, design for circularity, ease of use, and engaging on-pack communication. These elements played a central role in recognising the most outstanding achievements in packaging excellence and creative thinking.
A total of 30 trophies were awarded across five market categories, four special awards, and the Top Three Overall Winners. The leading countries are:
- China – 4 trophies, including Overall Bronze and 2 Gold Awards
- Australia – 4 trophies, including 2 Gold Awards
- Ghana – 4 trophies, including 1 Gold Award
- Turkey – 4 trophies, including 1 Gold Award
- Hungary – 4 trophies, including 2 Silver Awards
Gold: Ella Salminen (Finland), for the project ‘Ease’, which addresses the challenge of single-use plastic utensils by cleverly incorporating a cardboard utensil into the packaging label. This achievement marks the second consecutive year that a ScanStar student has won the WorldStar Student overall first prize.
Silver: Christian Alfred Landsberger Glik (Brazil), for the project ‘Eco-Dosadora’ which introduces an integrated dosing system for flexible packaging of fabric softeners, eliminating the need for a separate measuring cup, reducing plastic waste and manufacturing costs.
Bronze: Chenxin Li (China) for the project ‘Cold Brewed Tea’ packaging which through a ‘telescopic accordion structure’ bottle design reshapes sustainable packaging paradigms for urban consumers.
The registration link for the awards ceremony, scheduled on 4 March, at 10:00 CET, is https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_spde3DwMTOKKZLnPt9BLqw
