About Packnorth Award
Packnorth Award is a competition for packaging that is used on the Nordic market. Skilled designers, material selectors and constructors get to test their creations against each other.
It is also sure to lay the groundwork for future new collaborations, as buyers can find in one place the people and companies that specialize in the various elements of packaging.
Answer a number of questions about your packaging solution and submit it. We must have a package to judge. Sketches or photos are not enough. Once you have paid the entry fee, your package will be entered for judging and you will receive a digital emblem stating that this product is competing in Packnorth Award 2026.
In early September, the judges will announce which packages are nominated. They are then in the running until the award ceremony on 30 September 2026, when the winner in each category is announced at Empack in Stockholm.
The nominated entries will receive an emblem indicating that they have been nominated, which may then be used in the product’s marketing.
The winners will be awarded a diploma on the main stage, as well as an emblem with the text “Winner in Packnorth Award 2026,” which the winner is free to use. The winning entries will also receive great exposure in Packnews magazine and across all of its channels.
If you have an entry that stands out beyond the ordinary, you can also take home the competition’s top prize, the “Grand Prize,” which you can read more about below. The nominated entries, as well as entries that didn’t quite make it all the way, will also be presented in the magazine, both online and in the print edition.
Good luck!
Grand Prize
A Grand Prize will be awarded. The jury will select a packaging design that stands out exceptionally – a Grand Prize. The winner will receive an exclusive marketing package for a whole year on Packnews websites across the Nordic region (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland), where the winning product will be presented in the form of a banner ad. The prize package has a value of over SEK 200,000.
Choose the entries you want to compete with
Send us your entries
The jury will assess them according to their specialised knowledge
Award ceremony at Empack 2026, 30 September
Promote your company as a winner
Promote your winning entries
Cost
Early bird: 1 February to 30 April – 3200 SEK
Standard price: 1 May to 19 August – 3900 SEK
The price above is for one entry in one category. If you compete with the same entry in several categories, you get a 25% discount on subsequent categories.
Entries must be registered and handed to the shipping provider no later than 19 August.
Send your entries to:
AGI Media i Malmö AB
Altonagatan 5
211 38, Malmö
Sweden
Label with “Packnorth Award 2026” and your company name.
The categories in Packnorth Award
Food & Beverage Packaging
Luxury Packaging
E-commerce Packaging
Smart and Intelligent Packaging
Industrial Packaging
Circular/Sustainable Packaging
Take-away Packaging
Pharmaceutical Packaging
Graphic Packaging Design
Calendars (Christmas, Easter, etc.)
User-Friendly Packaging
In collaboration with the Swedish Rheumatism Association
Biomaterials
Special Prize from the Nordic Bioplastics Association
Book a competition booth at Empack
Companies participating in the Packnorth Award 2026 are offered the opportunity to join with either a standing table or a dedicated competition booth at Empack, in a special area on the exhibition floor. Here, you can promote your entries and your company, as well as answer questions from interested visitors.
Participation also means that you will become an exhibitor at the Empack fair, taking place September 30 – October 1, 2026 at Kistamässan.
Competition Booth 12m2
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GoPlus Leads Package*
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12 square meters of floor space
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White BeMatrix walls
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Carpet
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1 power outlet (230 V)
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3 spotlights
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1 standing table
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2 bar stools
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Cleaning
• Visit Connect lead scanning tool
• Smart Badge (smart name badge in your booth)
• Logo in the exhibitor list
• Access to Invitation Service (assistance with inviting customers)
Standing Table Space
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1 standing table
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2 bar stools
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1 power outlet (230 V)
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Space for a roll-up banner
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Cleaning
Marketing Exposure:
- Visibility on the floor plan and website, making it easy for visitors to find you and connect your company with your booth space. Your company name will be listed.
- Dedicated company profile on the Empack website, where you can showcase your brand, products, and services. This provides you with a digital presence to tens of thousands of website visitors searching for exhibiting companies.
- Logo in the Empack exhibitor list, ensuring your brand is continuously visible to everyone visiting the event website—building awareness and recognition among visitors.
- Own lead scanner and Visit Connect in your booth to collect leads.
Already have a booth at Empack? Then a standing table space next to the Packnorth Awards exhibition is included in your regular booth booking.
If you are interested in booking a Packnorth Award competition booth, standing table space, or a standard booth at Empack, please contact Sales Manager Victor Håglund:
Email: victor.haglund@easyfairs.com
Phone: +46 738 01 84 87
How the jury works
The jury assesses the products overall in each category using a scoring system. In addition, the jury members give an assessment of the entry based on their specialist knowledge.
The jury has the right to:
– not select any product as a winner in a particular category
– change the category for a product that they consider to be better placed in it
– merge two categories into one
– split one category into two
Note. In such cases, there is no refund of the fee.
The jury
Marie Malmberg Lavsen has been CEO of Packbridge, Northern Europe’s largest packaging cluster, for the past eight years. She also brings ten years of experience in carton converting.
Through Packbridge, Marie works actively to promote packaging innovation with a strong focus on the entire value chain. The cluster facilitates collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector.
She is deeply committed to highlighting the important role packaging plays in reducing food and product waste, thereby contributing to more sustainable development.
Esbjörn Olofsson is a self-employed packaging specialist and has been running a business focused on packaging solutions since 2015. Since 2018, this work has been carried out through Amesol AB, a company dedicated to sustainable solutions and consulting assignments. Esbjörn is also a lecturer and collaborates with global producers of both materials and machinery.
With more than thirty years of experience, he has been actively involved in driving development toward a more sustainable future.
Lars Palm is a Senior Lecturer in Packaging Technology at the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) in Lund and is also affiliated with the collaboration and innovation unit at Lund University. His role includes teaching in sustainable packaging technology and sustainable packaging materials, as well as related supervision and research. In addition, he works with project management of collaborative initiatives on behalf of the university.
Prior to joining Lund University, Lars spent nearly 20 years at Tetra Pak, working both as a specialist and in leadership roles within packaging material development and conversion. Over his three decades in the packaging field, he has primarily worked at the dynamic intersection of academia and industry.
Paul Jenkins is the founder and CEO of ThePackHub, a globally recognized consulting firm specializing in packaging innovation. Under Paul’s leadership, ThePackHub has become an indispensable resource for brand owners, retailers and packaging suppliers seeking innovative answers to packaging challenges. He led the creation of The Innovation Zone, a membership platform of over 9,400 packaging initiatives from around the world.
Ulla Risager primarily teaches the BA program in Graphic Design. One of her key research areas is packaging design, where she both teaches and runs research projects. She has a professional background as a graphic designer, art director and photographer.
The jury is chaired by Bo Wallteg, Senior Editor of Packnews magazine and Packnews.com. He is the founder of Europe’s largest packaging network, Packbridge, and the founder of the Nordic Bioplastics Association. For a period he was also chairman of the global packaging journalists’ organisation IPPO, the International Packaging Press Organisation. For over thirty years, he has been covering developments in the packaging industry.
Register entries
Early bird:
1 February to 30 April – 3200 SEK
Standard price:
1 May to 19 August – 3900 SEK
1 entry – 1 category
Compete with the same entry in multiple categories and receive a 25% discount on subsequent categories.
Entries must be registered and handed to the shipping provider no later than 19 August.
Student? Compete here!